


Something Greater

by deedeesfichouse



Series: love in all eight tones and all five semitones of the world’s full octave [1]
Category: Missing Link (2019)
Genre: Afro-Latino Character, BAMF Adelina, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cute Banter, Eventual relationship, Excruciatingly Slow Burn, F/M, Female Character of Color, Fluff, Gen, Getting Back Together, How Do I Tag, Interracial Relationship, Lionel's a bit of a dummy britt, Making Up, Mutual Pining, Past Relationship(s), Post-Canon, Slow Burn, Susan's a smart pure boy, Unresolved Romantic Tension, also some hurt/comfort, and she fully emotionally opens up to him in ch. 14, like they don't hug until ch. 8, local chicana author attempts spanglish, lovesick fools, some chapters have song lyrics in their titles, some light adventuring, there will be some angst, these two are such disasters i love them, we STAN
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2020-05-14 06:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 71,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19267408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deedeesfichouse/pseuds/deedeesfichouse
Summary: Time has passed since the great journey to Shangri-La and although they are quite happy with the current direction of their lives now, Lionel and Adelina can’t help but feel that there’s something great missing in their lives… or rather,someone.





	1. somebody i used to know

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, folks. Since May, I've been trying to write a post-canon story, specifically one about Lionel and Adelina getting back together. I've spent weeks brainstorming this out, sketching and outlining the whole fic while also watching a bootleg of the film to better understand the characters, not to mention researching stuff and such. Anyway, this took a good month to actually write down because of so many ideas going through my head, including stuff from laika group chat I'm in as well as the Alexa adventures because they're so cute. That, and there are other fics I've been working on too, but hey, at least here it is now!
> 
> So, a few things I will clear up right now before we get onto the chapter: the film's events have taken place in 1886, since that's what it says on the wikipedia page so yeah I'm going with that as the date. A time skip will happen, obviously, but not quite yet. As for the characters' ages, I admit I see Adelina and Lionel as 40 and 45 in the film, but for this fic's (and the ones to follow it) sake, Adelina will be 38 and Lionel will be 41 at the start, until the time skip. Susan is immortal, obviously, but mentally in his 20s. This fic will be around at least 16-19 chapters long, I believe. I haven't really decided yet, but let's just say it will be quite the slowest build ever so buckle up, 'cause it's gonna be a wild ride.
> 
> With that said, please enjoy the fic!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Now and then I think of when we were together, like when you said you felt so happy you could die_  
>  _Told myself that you were right for me, but felt so lonely in your company,_  
>  _But that was love and it's an ache I still remember._  
>  \- Gotye, "Somebody that I used to know."
> 
> Or wherein Lionel remembers how he got here, bits of the past and what he once had.

Atlantis was colorful.

That was the first thought that came into Sir Lionel Frost’s mind as he and Susan walked through the city of the hidden aquatic civilization. With all of the colorful buildings and paintings on the walls, it felt like they were in a picture from an old storybook instead of an actual republic. It was a wonder how no one else had even thought of coming here, what, with how extraordinary it was, even more so than how other folks had described it.

This was the kind of adventure Lionel dreamed of, the kind of adventure he’d wanted to go on ever since he was a small boy. After the long adventure to Shangri-La, he had been more than eager to begin his next case on Atlantis.

His adventure to Shangri-La… if it had not been for him going on that journey, he wouldn’t be here in Atlantis right now. To think, one simple letter from Susan was what had made him make that deal with Lord Piggot-Dunceby - the head of the society of “greater men” - that if he proved the sasquatch was real, then he would let him join the society. The bet was made and Lionel set off to the Pacific Northwest, finding Susan in a forest… only to be requested with help in finding his relatives, the yetis, in the Himalayas. Thinking it would help him discover a whole evolutionary line, he- admittedly, out of some selfish reasons- agreed to help the sasquatch.

The key to getting to the Himalayas, however, was a map that lay in the hands of his former girlfriend, Adelina. The only issue with retrieving the map was that Adelina harbored some disdain towards him for missing out on the funeral of her late husband, his former partner Aldous. 

He tried reasoning with her, even offering to pay her for the map, but she only became angry with that and kicked him out… though now that he looked back on it, he  _did_ deserve that.

(He’d had his reasons for skipping out on Aldous’ funeral, though- petty, selfish reasons, yes, but reasons nonetheless. Sure, he had attended the wedding and all, visited a little bit even after, but… something in him kept him from going to the funeral that day, something within his heart that ached and yearned.

A bitter feeling of the relationship he once had with his friend’s widow... a longing for the past and what had once been, a longing that eventually tore a rift between him and his friend –

A longing for his lost love.)

So since he couldn’t get the map from her, he chose to come back later that night with Susan and break in. It wasn’t one of the best choices he’d made, but they needed the map if they were ever going to get to the Himalayas.

But of course, Adelina had heard them and woke up, going to confront them alongside her butler. She had hurled a lamp at him, only for him to swat it back with his cane, hitting her butler and setting the assistant’s gun off, shooting the window and leaving the safe to fall out, breaking open upon hitting the ground. Lionel and Susan had jumped out, taken the map and set off.

The next day, they mugged a nun and took her clothes, with Lionel using her nun outfit while Susan took her regular outing clothes. They set off to the train station in their disguises, with Lionel thinking Adelina wouldn’t notice if she ever came after them but oh, he was wrong, very wrong.

Adelina came storming into the train station, pushing people aside until she came to them. She immediately recognized them and he could still remember how she’d pulled at his veil and hissed  _I don’t even want to know how you got this_ , and Susan had been blunt as ever, saying  _it was a nun, we mugged her_.

She demanded for him to give the map back, threatening him with her gun, only for a bullet to fire at them- a bullet from Stenk. _D_ _id you steal from him too?_ she had even asked before he had to wheel them behind a pillar, explaining that he needed the map to get to the Himalayas.

What he hadn’t expected next was for her to say, _you’re right. It’s time I stop being a bird locked in its cage, and finally break free! I’m coming with you._ He was surprised, yet knew he didn’t have much of a choice - _para nada,_ she’d even said smugly when he asked her - so he allowed it, and after tricking Stenk into thinking they boarded the train, they boarded a wagon and began riding off.

In the wagon, they discussed their plans and Lionel went on with the sayings he’d heard spoken when talking of Shangri-La, especially with it being a place where mysterious beauty is discovered. Adelina corrected him, saying what her ex-husband had believed, going on about him and how she wished he could’ve been there… to which Lionel, being stupidly blunt and zealous as ever, he’ll admit, said he intended to follow in his exact steps and tried to comfort her, to which she yanked her hand away and shouted _that doesn’t mean I’m happy about you!_ He'd pouted and folded his arms in response, and Susan had to break the awkwardness that hung in the air by pointing out the window.

Looking back on it now, he hadn’t been the most pleasant person during the adventure, nor the kindest. He poked Susan with his stick many times and acted so impatiently, rudely and brashly, only stopping when he was called out by Adelina. He had even been weirded out when Susan went by, well, _Susan,_ due to the fact he’d never really seen men taking on women’s names… well, outside of drag queens, that was, but still, it took a while for him to get adjusted to the sasquatch’s name, though he had to admit the tale behind it was touching and resonated within him.

( _“Some years back, there was a young prospector who came to live in the woods to try their luck on the high mountain rivers,”_ the sasquatch had begun telling the tale, eyes glinting with nostalgia. _“One day, they came close to my cave while out picking berries and they saw me and they were just standing there… and when I looked at them, they didn’t scream, they didn’t turn or run away like most people do, they just… they just smiled.”_ And he smiled too at this. _“And that smile meant the world to me,”_ he finished in a whisper.

In a way, Lionel could relate. He, too, had once known someone who meant as much to him as Prospector Susan had meant to Susan Link. There had been someone who’d encouraged him to pursue his dream, whose words had meant the world to him, who inspired him to search for mythical creatures… and that person’s name had been Anthony, _Anthony Frost_ … his father.

But of course, he couldn’t ruin the moment with his story, so Lionel simply listened to what Susan said and accepted the name he chose, albeit hesitantly.

He had to admit though, he highly appreciated when Susan tried to protect him from Stenk, although it kind of backfired and led to some chaos on the boat... still, the sasquatch was so kindhearted, bless his soul.)

It took a good long while of journeying, avoiding the bounty hunter and going through the Indian jungle to the Himalayas, being escorted by three yeti guards with spears until they finally reached Shangri-La for Lionel to come to his senses.

At first, when they set foot in Shangri-La, it seemed like a utopia- a land one would read about in fantastic novels about myths and legends. Sure, the yetis had been a little hostile, but surely they would ease up after showing them around, right? Well, _wrong._ The Elder Yeti had showed them around, yes, and she didn’t seem like _too_ much of a harpy despite her coyness and the remark of  _the country cousin, the red neck_... and the whole  _keep out, we hate you_ title they used for their valley. It all seemed fine, until she'd spat  _you have no place with us_ at Susan. 

 _But you're my kind, we're family,_ Susan had protested, but the yeti queen wouldn't relent. He was friends with man, the killer of hope and dreams in her and all of the other yetis' eyes, which meant that anyone who associated with them was on the same level of filth... which meant that Susan was considered a miserable disappointment.

Just like that, their fates seemed to have been sealed- they were to be throne into the pit of isolation where they would rot, all in the name of "preservation." It was barbaric and nothing short of humiliating and heart-crushing, especially for Susan.

Yet at that time, Lionel had been upset only because he’d be the laughingstock of the entire club… he’d been so focused on himself, that he never even bothered to notice how heartbroken Susan was.

 _"Look at him,"_ Adelina had said, pointing to the sasquatch, who curled up on the floor, defeated. _"_ _Look! His dreams are crushed, and you… you only talk of yourself."_

 _"Well, what about_ my _dreams?"_ he’d argued, yet again so selfishly. God, looking back on it now made him wince so hard. How much of an arse had he been back then?

 _"What, to- to belong to that silly club?! These men do not like you, they do not respect you- they do not even believe the things that you believe!"_ she had gone off on a tirade, drilling it into his head. _"So why, WHY do you wish to be one of them?"_

He’d tried to argue, yet the only argument he had was that they said he couldn’t. They said he couldn’t be one of them, so he tried to be one of them to prove them wrong, to prove that he was worthy to be a part of the society of “great men”- to prove that his fascination with studying crpytids wasn’t stupid, and that… that the legacy he promised to carry was one _worth_ carrying. It was the reason he'd made that stupid bet with Dunceby in the first place, one of the reasons he had decided to agree to help Susan, yet look at where it had gotten him – the bottom of a pit. He really had hit rock bottom.

 _"You and Susan are not different at all,_   _w_ _anting_ _to belong in all the wrong places."_

_"You could never understand."_

But oh, she did understand, alright. She'd understood enough to go and drill it further into his thick skull, until she got her point across.

 _“You know something, Lionel? All this time, I’m thinking you care more about these legends you chase than you do about people, but I’m wrong! There’s only one legend Sir Lionel Frost_ really _cares about!”_

Himself. She had meant _him,_ but he was so foolish that he’d been clueless at first, thinking she meant unicorns. It was a wonder how she didn’t just scream at him right then and there.

_“You are never interested in anyone but yourself and yet, you are surprised that you always end up alone.”_

_“You have me wrong,”_ he had argued. _“I am… better than you think I am.”_

 _“_ Prove it _,”_ she’d demanded. _“You talk about proof, but all you offer are_ words. _Where is this great man, Sir Lionel? Where is the proof of him,_ where _is the proof of his worth? I think, perhaps, the great Sir Lionel Frost… is a_ myth. _”_

Those words had sunk in, hitting him real hard as he’d realized that she was _right._ All this time, he had been so focused on doing what was best for himself, that he never took anyone else’s interests into account. He always put himself first, never anyone else. He chased away all the people he loved, yet had the gall to wonder _why_ he was always so lonely.

He ruined his relationship with Adelina, all because he was too focused on being a part of that damned optimates club to even pay mind to her feelings, to try being there for her when she needed him… which was why she’d chosen his former partner, and then he’d gone and twisted the knife in that wound by not attending the funeral.

Because of his selfishness, he'd damaged his relationship with her and gotten them all into this mess… but he would be _damned_ if he let his friendship with Susan be ruined because of his foolishness.

He and Susan weren’t completely different. Sure, they were opposites, but not entirely unlike, for they’d both wanted to belong to a society that had no place for them… a place where they didn’t belong to begin with. Just as he had no place with the optimates club, Susan had no place with the yetis in Shangri-La– no, no, he belonged somewhere else, somewhere with people who actually respected him and cared about him; his _true_ family.

So Lionel helped his friend get back up, deciding they were going to get out. He’d held his arms up, telling Susan to throw him out of the pit… which didn’t work as well, making him slam face first against the ice wall. This led to Susan having to throw Adelina out of the pit, and she then went on to beat up some yeti guards and throw them down for stacking.

Once they got out of that ice pit, they'd made a break for the bridge, only to find that Dunceby, his assistant Mr. Collick and even Stenk were all there, seemingly waiting for them. 

 _“This is where it ends, Frost,”_ Dunceby had stated, musket in hand. _“I can’t allow you to go any further. Look at you, hand in hand with_ apes _and_ women. _You’ll never be one of us!”_

 _“Quite right,”_ Lionel had accepted, surprising the older man. _“I never shall.”_ And he’d smirked. _“You know, I really don’t care to anymore. I have changed my mind, I- I have…_ evolved _.”_

 _“What? But that- that’s preposterous! Of course you want to be one of us! We are great men! We shape the world!”_ the older man boasted.

 _“That’s funny,”_ Lionel had found himself chuckling. _“I actually used to think that, but now… now I’d rather think the world shapes us.”_ Behind him, Adelina had clapped a little and he turned to her with a smile. _“That was pretty good, wasn’t it?”_ He’d looked to Susan. _“One of you should write that down.”_

 _“You would cast aside everything for that- that-”_ Dunceby had been tripping over his words, seething with rage as he pointed the gun tip at Susan. _“That_ thing _?!”_

 _“Yes,”_ there had been no hesitation in Lionel’s voice as he said it. _“Yes, I would.”_ And he’d stepped forward in front of his friend, protectively standing ground against Dunceby. _“And I’ll have you know that that thing has a name!”_

 _“It’s Susan,”_ whispered the sasquatch, smugly.

_“That thing is an abomination–!”_

_“That_ thing _is more of a man than you will ever be and once more, he is my_ friend _which is a far better prize than any fellowship with the likes of_ YOU _!”_ and at this, he’d pushed the tip of the gun, pushing the older man back, surprising him and his two lackeys. _“If you are still intent on doing him harm, then you’ll have to find a way through me first!”_

 _“And me also!”_ Adelina had added, stepping up next to Lionel.

 _“Yeah, and me!”_ Susan added, to which Adelina said _you don’t do that,_ making him step back.

Dunceby had grunted in frustration, looking around at the three, before… cackling. _“You can keep your missing link and your lost world,”_ he’d spat. _“You’re welcome to them.”_ He’d cackled more as he shot at the bridge, sending cracks throughout the ice. It hit the trio right then and there that this was it, this was how he was going to kill them – he was going to send them falling to their deaths. _“No one will ever know what you found here, and_ no one will ever remember your name. _”_

 _“Uh, my lord?”_ Even Mr. Collick had been a little terrified by his boss’ quick spiral into insanity, watching as he smashed his gun against the bridge. Hell, even _Stenk_ had been backing away from him. _“Order will prevail in our civilization, and as for yours–”_

Susan had interrupted him, snatching away his gun.  _"You're a bad man,"_ the sasquatch had whispered, then he'd thrown the gun over the bridge.

Adelina went on to push Lionel and Susan ahead, whispering to them,  _"Run."_

And so, they did. They'd ran as fast as they could, leaving Dunceby in the center of the bridge to his fate, where the old man fell soon enough, followed by his bumbling assistant... and after a minor fight over who would get to climb over the ledge, Stenk also joined the two in the fall to their demises.

Once Susan had pulled both Adelina and Lionel up, there was the question of what would happen next, and well… Lionel had an idea. Since his former assistant, Lemuel, had quit quite literally a day before he’d set off to find Susan, he needed a partner… and there was no one more perfect for the job than Susan.

So he offered him the job and Susan had eagerly accepted, much to the delight of them all. The eagerness and overall heartwarming moment was cut short for a few seconds, however, as Susan had gone on to blow a raspberry at the yetis who’d emerged and watched from the other side of the bridge. Adelina and Lionel had to literally drag him away as he went on, going on a tirade of _your utopia sucks, and so do you_.

And so, they had all sailed back to London. At the docks, they’d all parted ways… and Lionel could still remember asking Adelina, _“What did you see?”_

He could remember how she said _I saw proof,_ and how he’d gotten so happy that he had leaned in for a kiss… only for her to put her hand on his lips and say, _“You are a great man, Sir Lionel, but I deserve greater.”_ And _of course,_ her little speech.

_“It’s time I went on my own adventure, not for you… not for Aldous… not even for you, Susan, but for myself. Goodbye, gentlemen.”_

While he could still remember feeling disappointed, he could also remember the wink she gave him- that wink, something so small yet it meant so much to him. Even when he and Susan had gone back to the workplace and got ready for the trip to Atlantis, he’d mulled over that wink. Could it possibly mean that maybe one day, him and her could—?

“Hey, Lionel, look!”

Lionel’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Susan’s voice. He snapped out of it, blinking to see his friend, pointing at a pair of two atlanteans who were chasing each other around some artifacts and statues.

“It’s so cute,” Susan commented with a smile. “Reminds me of when the birds would chase each other in spring, back in the forest.”

“Indeed,” Lionel murmured, nodding a little. “It is quite an… adorable sight.”

He watched as the two atlanteans continued to chase each other around, noting how the first one giggled as the other one finally caught up to them, wrapping their arms around them in an intimate hug. It was then that he saw how atlanteans weren’t completely different from humans, when it came to certain mannerisms.

In fact, the way the atlantean couple chased each other… it reminded him of the day he met Adelina, so many years ago.

_It had been during a trip to Mexico, when he was searching for the goat-sucking creature, el chupacabra. He had hunting for the creature with his associates in the jungle, until he spotted a figure running by past the trees._

_At first, he didn’t pay much mind to it. It could’ve been an ocelot, after all… yet when it ran past him again, a bit of curiosity took over him. What if this was the beast itself? What if...?_

_“Excuse me, my good chaps,” he said to his associates, stepping aside. “But I believe fate is calling me.”_

_“That’s what you always say, Lionel,” said one of his female colleagues, Pruedence Perlstein, her eyes rolling._

_“Well, today is the lucky day, Prue,” Lionel said firmly. “Today is the day I discover the chupacabra.”_

_“Yeah, good luck with that,” snickered another one of his friends, Marius Adomakoh._

_Lionel rolled his eyes, then went off to find where the creature had gone off to._

_He walked around, looking until he heard something rustle. He turned to the bushes and faintly made out a silhouette, standing on its two hind legs… just as some folks had described the beast._

_Lionel lunged forward in an attempt to grab it, but it jumped back before he could and took off running. He ran after it, desperate to capture it until it went off in a different direction and he lost it for a moment._

_The investigator skid to a stop, letting out a grunt of frustration. “Damn it!” he cursed. “So close…”_

_Then, suddenly, he saw a shadow looming over him. He turned and saw the silhouette readying to pounce on him, and he let out a startled cry before running just as it jumped._

_It went on like this for what seemed like an hour, with the figure chasing after him and him chasing after it. It wasn’t until they came to a halt underneath a cliffside that the chasing finally did stop, only so that they could collect their breaths._

_It was when they skid to a stop that he saw that it wasn’t the chupacabra that he’d been chasing, but instead, a lovely young woman in her thirties. Her skin was a nice tawny brown, darker than the average mestiza or criollo yet lighter than the average africano or zamba, which put her as an afromestiza- a gorgeous one, at that. Her hair was dark brown, flowing down past her shoulders in natural curls and her eyes were a beautiful sea green. Her dress was a simple red one with white frills and a poncho._

_They both breathed in and out while looking at each other, taking in the other's presence._

_After regaining her breath, the woman asked, “¿Quién eres tú? ¿Y por qué me perseguías?”_

_Lionel tilted his head to the side, confused. “What?”_

_“Oh,” said the woman, swiftly changing from spanish to a heavily accented english. “You’re an englishman.”_

_“Yes, yes, I am.” He nodded, then looked her up and down. She was absolutely radiant, from head to toe. “Do forgive me for chasing you, miss,” he went to clear his throat. “You see, I’ve been searching for the chupacabra and well, I thought you were…”_

_“…the beast itself?” she finished, a small smile forming on her face. “What a funny coincidence that is, because I also thought you were the beast too.”_

_“Ah, how funny indeed,” Lionel chortled at this. They’d shared a hearty chortle for a moment, until he asked her, “So, care to tell me where you are from, beautiful stranger? Daughter of heaven or the earth?”_

_The woman’s smile seemed to grow. “Daughter of the earth,” she answered, amused. “A daughter of a noble man and his wife from Puebla, to be more specific.”_

_“And your name?” he went on to ask, finding himself wanting to know more of this new beauty._

_“I am Adelina Angelina Teodora Ernestina Antonia del Jesús Rivera Saldaña,” the woman replied, smirking at how his eyes widened at how long her name was. “But my friends call me Adelina.”_

_“It is a pleasure to meet you, Adelina,” Lionel spoke with a smile, extending his hand. “I am Sir Lionel Phineas Frost, fearless and charismatic adventurer and legend in the making.” When she held out her own hand, he took it into his and kissed it._

_“The pleasure is all mine,” she said, green eyes twinkling at him._

_He let go of her hand as a light bulb went off in his head. “Say, since we are both searching for the chupacabra, why don’t we team up to find it?” he suggested. “After all, two is better than one…” He stepped closer to her, attempting to bring an arm around her, which she allowed. “And since you_ are _a native, you surely must know your way around… perhaps you could show me?”_

_She seemed to ponder on it for a moment, before flashing him a grin. “Of course.” She began to move ahead, beckoning for him to follow. “Venga, Sir Lionel. El chupacabra won’t find himself.”_

_He smirked and followed after her._

They might’ve not found the chupacabra that day, but they found something that was better… each other. Later that day, they’d parted ways and she promised him that if she ever got her citizenship within the states, she would come travel with him.

Prior to that day, Lionel hadn’t believed in love at first sight or even true love itself… but when he’d met Adelina, that was when he _knew_.

And of course, he hadn’t been the only one. He could still faintly remember how Aldous – whose own feelings for the woman had only formed way later on – had teased him on the way back.

_“Oh, Lionel, you dafty… you like her, don’t you?”_

_“What?” He’d blushed so hard. “N-no?”_

_“Sure you don’t!”_

He had liked her a lot back then, and the feelings became more apparent when she joined him after finally getting her green card. It hadn’t taken long for them to enter a relationship, and it all seemed fine at first… until he failed to be good for her, and it all went downhill–

“Lionel?”

He was forced out of his thoughts by Susan’s voice yet again. “Yes, Susan?”

“You okay?” Susan asked, his head tilting to the side. “Cause you seemed to be zoning out while watching those atlanteans over by the statues.”

“Oh.” Lionel’s eyes darted between the atlantean couple, then back to Susan. “Apologies, it’s just that I was… reminded of something.”

 _Of a better time_ went unsaid, for he knew he couldn’t dwell on it too much lest he wanted to lose track of their current journey. The past was the past, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty long for a first chapter and full of looking back galore (much like "Proof"), I know, but at least it's a start. My apologies, but hopefully the next chapter will be interesting enough. Oh, and a couple of notes:  
> – Some stuff in this fic isn't going to be completely accurate to the Victorian era. There will be some slang and some stuff that seems "untraditional" and all that but honestly, it's not hurting anyone with some minor inaccuracy. It's not like I'm erasing important events or anything, so there's not much of a big deal to be made. Still, I feel like giving a head's up just in case.  
> – Lionel's father, Anthony, will be mentioned a little throughout the fic and will be relevant in a chapter later on. The part he plays might not be as big as our leads', but he does have a role even if it may be slightly minor.  
> – Aldous, however, will not have much of a role at all within this fic. He _might_ be mentioned and referenced to and all that, but let it be known that that tiny little bit of a flashback he's in will most likely be the only real thing I write with him. I'm afraid there's just not much I can work with in regards to him, plus it'd be kind of weird to bring him up too frequently considering it's a Liolina fic, no? So at most, he'll get small mentions (again, nothing is guaranteed and I won't make any promises), but that's about it. Otherwise, you're not gonna see anything focusing on him from me because… well, Liolina.  
> – I realize the chupacabra was 'discovered' in the year 1995. As someone who is Puerto-Rican/Colombian, I know this very well, especially considering some of my family members own farms. However, like my friend Taylor once said, it could just mean the creature reached more attention and popularity in 1995. It's like how religions have existed for a long time and almost no one questions that, so why can't the same be said for cryptids such as el chupacabra? But that's merely my own two cents on the matter.  
> – And of course, in regards to how Adelina's described within the flashback: in the art book, there's concept art depicting her with dark brown skin and even natural curly hair. Because of this, I've decided to write her as afro-latina, okay? Okay.  
> – In regards to her long name: it's a common spanish name thing, especially for those from well-off families. As for her mother's surname being Saldaña and Lionel's middle name being Phineas, sue me. I like making small pokes and references.
> 
> That all being said, I hope this first chapter was to your liking and a good start to this story. 'Til next time, take care!


	2. i heard the church bells from afar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _But we found each other in the dark_  
>  _And when the smoke does finally pass,_  
>  _We will rise above all the ash._  
>  – Dallas Green, "We found each other in the dark."
> 
> (Wherein Adelina also reminisces a little, before making a choice to do something that'll affect not only her, but a certain person as well.)

If Adelina Fortnight had been told two years ago that she would one day have to stop mourning over her late husband and work with her ex-boyfriend in order to bring a bigfoot to Shangri-La before eventually going off on her own journey, she would’ve laughed a hysterical, snarky, bitter laugh. She would’ve thought the person telling her that was insane and dismissed it, yet now… now, she could definitely believe it, because it had only recently happened to her.

What had happened was still fresh in her mind… the visit from Lionel, where he’d tried to take the map from her, but she’d chewed him out on missing her husband’s – his own _friend,_ whom he claimed was like a brother to him – funeral, angrily kicking him out when he’d said he would pay her for the map; the one item they pulled out of his hands when they’d uncovered his body after the avalanche. When night came, he broke into her house and took it, and she had to leave her confinement just to confront him at the station… only to end up joining him and Susan on the journey to Shangri-La, all because of the little comment he made.

_“You were always such a vibrant, intoxicating woman. It pained me to hear that you’d shut yourself in, like a bird trapped in a cage.”_

Taking his words into account, he was right. Ever since Aldous’ grim demise and the funeral, she’d shut herself away from the world, her only friends consistent being her yellow parakeet, Paca, and her argentine butler, Ricardo. She didn’t even try visiting her immediate family – her father, mother and seven brothers, all of whom attended the funeral – or writing to them, nor even her friends or brothers' wives.

She had spent days, months and two _years_ locked within her home, mourning over her loss… only for a visit and a heated argument with her former lover to make her realize that she _needed_ to stop shutting herself away. She needed to move on, break free and go back to the life of adventure, the life she almost gave up on.

And that was exactly what she did.

Adelina went with Lionel and Susan, using the map to guide them to Shangri-La. Along the way, they’d dodged a hired hitman’s attempts at killing them and befriended a shaman and her granddaughter, and… well, there was quite a bit of tension between her and Lionel, too. On the boat, they’d fallen into each other’s arms and on the elephant ride through the jungle of India, they nearly _kissed._

Of course, the tension wasn’t entirely just romantic. When the Elder Yeti had them all thrown into the ice pit, she saw how broken up Susan was over it, and Lionel… he only cared about himself, so she didn’t hesitate in chewing him out over it, just as she’d chewed him out on many of his other glaring flaws.

It was classic Lionel, never caring about anyone but himself. It was his inability to be there for her when she needed him that led to their breakup to begin with, and yet he had the audacity to be surprised that he was always left alone. She had begun to believe that perhaps, there wasn’t a great Sir Lionel Frost after all… the great Sir Lionel Frost had to be a myth for no matter how many times he spoke of proof, he showed no signs of being the great man he claimed to be.

…that was, until he went and proved her wrong.

He hadn’t gone back to moping about himself after she’d called him out, instead he… he decided to help Susan, telling him, _I believe it is time we settle our debt, Mr. Link. I said I’d take you to the place where you belong, and I am a man of my word. The Elder Yeti is right, you don’t belong here, now get up. We’re leaving._

He was going to take the sasquatch to the place where he _really_ did belong, a place where he would be surrounded by folks who loved him… his real family, not by blood but by _choice._

Seeing Lionel helping Susan get back onto his feet, hearing him say something so considerate… it was as if she was seeing someone else, instead of the very man whom she had known for so long.

The cryptids investigator further proved himself when he confronted Lord Piggot-Dunceby, finally standing up to that old buffoon once and for all. He proved that he no longer cared about trying to be a part of that silly club, that his mind had evolved, that he would cast aside everything for Susan because he was his _friend_ and his friendship was more valuable than a fellowship with those prudes. He stood up for Susan when Dunceby dared to call him an abomination, saying the old man would have to go through him first to get to his furry friend.

Adelina believed that it was at that particular moment that she saw that Lionel had truly changed. No longer was he a self-centered man who cared more about himself than the people who surrounded him, now he was the great Sir Lionel Frost, an investigator of mythical creatures and a man who cared deeply about his friends and loved ones.

So when they were ready to part ways on the boat and he’d asked her what she saw, she simply said _I saw proof_ to which he had then leaned in to kiss her… and she put her hand up, stopping his lips before they could meet hers.

Now Lionel was a great man and all, but Adelina felt like she couldn’t accept his kiss just yet. Sure, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t interested, but she couldn’t risk the possibility of her heart getting broken at any cost. He might have proven he was great, but still, she deserved something _greater_.

(She deserved someone greater, too. He might have proved himself to be great, but… she wasn’t sure if he was great enough for her just _yet._ She wasn’t quite ready to let her guard down, to let him into her heart again, to risk that just for him.

Not yet.)

She wanted an adventure of her own, to explore places she hadn’t touched upon yet and see new things, to discover new creatures and more. It had been two years since she had gone out into the world and she wanted to make up for those years.

There were so many places she had yet to see, so many things she had yet to do and not enough time in the world, so she decided that it was time to choose her own path – a road that only she could travel. She needed to embark on this journey not for anyone else, but _herself._ She owed herself for it, after those two long years she spent locked up in her casa. 

So Adelina bid Lionel and Susan farewell and left the docks, but not before giving the investigator a wink – a small notion that maybe, somewhere along the way, something could happen between them.

(When that would happen, she wouldn't know. She wasn’t even _sure_ if it was possible, but… _maybe._ As most folks would say, you never know.)

After she parted ways with the gentlemen, she boarded a boat headed for Venezuela, where she had her very first adventure. 

She explored the country, from Caracas to the villages located near the Andean mountains. She met new people and learned their dialects, ate their food, immersing herself within their culture for the amount of time she spent there. She had done everything there was to do, even going so far as to encountering Hairy Dwarves, which she had done a quick rough sketch of before the creatures had fled.

Once Adelina was finished with her adventure in Venezuela, she felt so accomplished, so _free._ For the first time in years, she had control of her life. She finally chose her own path, her own adventure – the direction her life would take. She was no longer a parakeet trapped inside a cage, but a sparrow who finally spread her wings and flew.

And during the trip back home, she realized that she partially had Lionel to thank for it. While she made her own decisions in the end, had it not been for that – albeit, very heated – conversation they’d had before the Shangri-La adventure, she would have never left her house. Had it not been for Lionel and his weird bird metaphors and tendencies to steal maps, she would have spent the rest of her days cooped inside that place, being miserable, lonely and depressed with only a butler and a pet bird to accompany her. 

If it wasn’t for him, their relationship wouldn’t be on the good terms it was now, she would have never met the wonderful friend that was Susan, they wouldn’t have had that insane yet ultimately fun adventure and she would have never gotten the chance to experience her own adventure. Sure, there were the downsides that came with his actions and he hadn’t really been the most considerate man in the beginning, but he changed and… he had helped her get out of the house, something not even Ricardo could do back then. 

It was because of this that she felt like she owed him now, that she had to find a way to pay him back for what he did. A small thank you, a gift – something that would let him know that she was thankful for him getting her back out into the real world.

And then, it hit her. 

A long time ago, when they had been dating, Adelina wrote letters to Lionel, detailing how much she enjoyed the adventures they’d went on in the past and many other things, even including small stuff such as “I love you”s and all that. She had only stopped writing letters after they broke up, with her last letter being… well, not the nicest of the bunch. It had been a long time since she had last written to him, so maybe now was the time she finally did it again, especially considering the last letter she’d written ended off on such a rough note. 

And so, she made up her mind right then: once she got home, she would start writing to him again.

Just like old times.

* * *

 

Adelina came to the steps of her casa and knocked on the door, waiting a few seconds before she was greeted by a familiar sight.

“Ah, señora,” Ricardo said as he opened the door. “There you are. You’ve been gone for quite some time, that I was starting to get a little worried.”

“ _Lo siento,_ Ricardo,” Adelina apologized. “It’s just that I saw so many wonderful things during my adventure, that I had to explore each and every inch.”

“I see,” Ricardo said with a small nod, then stepped aside. “Well, come in. _Dios_ knows how delighted Paca will be to see you.”

“Oh, I bet,” Adelina tittered as she stepped inside. 

She walked down the hall, until she stopped by her quarters and entered. There, she saw that everything was mostly tidy, including her pet bird’s cage where the parakeet sat on a swing. 

“Why hello there, Paca,” she cooed as she went over to the cage. The yellow bird started chirping happily as she saw her mistress. “How’ve you been doing? Have you been a _buena niña_ while I’ve been gone? Have you?” The bird tweeted and flew around her cage excitedly, answering her question. “Good.” 

Adelina reached into her jacket’s pocket, pulling out a red berry. She opened Paca’s cage and held it out to the bird, to which it gladly took the berry and ate it. She smiled, then closed the cage and went to her desk, searching for pieces of paper. Once she found some, she grabbed a pen and began to write down a letter.

Given that it had been some time since she had written to him, it was hard coming up with the words at first. She constantly kept crumbling up the paper she wrote on, throwing the balled up letter in the trash while she began a new one due to the difficulty of phrasing some things. 

But eventually, after hours of writing, she managed to finish the letter and look it over, finally satisfied with what she had written. “Yes!” she exclaimed with satisfaction, throwing an arm up into the air. She then went to fold up the remaining paper into an envelope, placing the letter within it and sealing it.

Once that step was complete, Adelina then called out for her butler: “Ricardo?” 

The butler poked his head in the room’s entrance. “Yes, señora?” 

She held the letter out to him. “Could you take this letter to the post office?”

“Of course, right away,” he said, bowing his head as he took it. 

But before he left, she added, “And be extra careful with it. It’s for a friend, so I don't want anything bad to happen to it.”

Ricardo nodded and went to deliver the letter, feeling a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. His señora hadn’t had friends over or even sent letters since the avalanche, so to see that she was finally interacting with others outside of the house was quite the relief. 

Meanwhile, Adelina’s smile grew a little wider as she envisioned the kind of reaction Lionel would have to her letter. He would be eager and writing back quickly, no doubt, just like he used to back in those days.

Hopefully, this letter would be not only the start of exchanging letters once more, but also something new. 

The beginning of a new era for them both. 


	3. and ask me your questions (oh, let's go back to the start)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Questions of science, science and progress_  
>  _Do not speak as loud as my heart._  
>  – Coldplay, “The Scientist.”
> 
> In which Lionel gets a letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So remember when I said the fic would take place in 1886 at the start then have a time skip? Turns out, the year the film takes place in is 1898 according to a letter sent by Adi to Lionel in the credits which a. SQUEE!!! Headcanon CONFIRMED and b. Means the start of the story is now 1898, but will have a three year skip to 1901 (which, spoilers, is gonna happen _very_ soon). Why is this revelant? Because... idk, just to clear up stuff and apologize for the misinformation I might've spread, that's all. With that out of the way, onto the chapter!

April 18th, 1898

London, England

12:00 A.M.

The church's bell rang off in the distance as the clock's hand reached the hour of noon, signaling the start of a new day. Birds chirped and flocked about, and the people of London slowly began their own daily morning routines.

One of these folks was none other than Lionel Frost, who had awoken upon hearing the first ring of the church bell. He scrambled up to get out of his bed, though his eyes were soon met by a familiar sight, one that made his heart ache a little.

A photo of Adelina, taken back during the time when they had been dating. In the picture, she wore a simple vest and a smile on her face – a smile that he wished he could see every day in person.

("Stand there, Adi," Lionel had said as he'd gone to get the camera. "And stay still."

"Okay," she'd laughed, a delightful little laugh.

He had come back with the camera soon enough, positioning it. "Now, smile for me."

She had a bemused look. "Don't you mean smile for the camera?"

"Oh right, yes... silly me," he'd laughed, then readied the camera. Once a smile was on her face, he'd taken the photo and afterwards, they'd been giggling like two schoolchildren over it.) 

Alas, he would have to settle with seeing her smile in an old bronze-toned photograph. At least he could wake up to that…

And Susan’s loud roar of a yawn, which he heard only a second after. Given that he was a sasquatch, Lionel could only expect his furry friend’s mourning routine to be quite the noisy one. At least he’d woken up before him today, so he wouldn’t have a roar as an alarm clock.

He got up from bed and went to get ready as per usual, washing up first, neatly combing his hair and finally, dressing in his usual attire. Once that was over with, he went straight for the kitchen, where he found Susan sitting at the table. 

“Good morning!” the sasquatch chirped, eyes already alight with the usual enthusiasm. He’d always been a morning person, or so to speak.

“Morning,” Lionel returned, then went over to the cupboard to fetch their breakfast; the usual eggs, bacon, fish and porridge. Seeing as how he didn’t really have servants and that forcing Susan to bake was like a sentence to arson in its very concept, it was Lionel who prepared breakfast every morning. It’d been that way ever since he moved out of his parents’ old home and despite how ‘unmanly’ and ‘nontraditional’ it seemed, he quite enjoyed preparing the food, for it gave him the liberty to add his own little touch – his own cooking signature.

So he prepared breakfast. While the food was cooking, Susan tried to strike up a conversation by asking, “So, how’d you sleep last night?” 

“Fairly decent,” Lionel said, looking back over his shoulder. “And how about you?”

Susan beamed. “Great! I dreamt that you and I were in the Northwest Highlands wearing quilts–”

“Kilts, Susan,” Lionel interrupted, correcting the sasquatch. “The skirts are called _kilts_ , not quilts. _Quilt_ is a fabric that is _used_ for kilts.”

“Oh…” The sasquatch blinked, then went on, “Well, anyway, we were wearing kilts and playing the bagpipes, then suddenly, a weird large dinosaur-like creature was screeching and trying to pounce on us and then–”

“Dinosaur?” Lionel repeated, both amused and intrigued. “Tell me, what did the creature look like?”

“It was about fifty-five feet long, or at least seemed to be,” Susan began describing the beast. “I don’t remember its tail, so it could’ve been longer.” He shrugged. “It was definitely around the size of a sea serpent, though.”

“Dinosaur-like creature, around fifty-five feet or longer, size of a sea serpent…” Lionel noted, trailing off for a moment before frowning. “The Stronsay Beast. It was discovered in 1808, carcass washed ashore in the Stronsay island of Orkney, Scotland. No other creature of its kind has been discovered… at least, not alive.”

“Ohhhh… I had no idea about the carcass thing.”

“Can’t really blame you for not knowing. The news died out pretty soon, given that there were not a lot of folks in on the investigation. People nowadays only know of one Scottish legend: the Loch Ness monster.”

“Huh.” Susan was silent for a moment, then, “So, did you dream about anything last night?”

“Well, I did have one dream,” Lionel admitted, going on to relay what his dreams from the previous night, “about you and I. Much like your dream, we were on an adventure as well, though not in Scotland but rather, around here in England.” Such a strange dream it had been, especially with the events that had occurred in it. “We were by a lake in the countryside and suddenly, a joyous voice came from the heavens above… Adelina’s voice.” He saw the confused look on Susan’s face and gave a shrug. “And then, the dream ended. Strange, I know.” And only more ironic now, he thought, given that he had woken up facing Adelina’s picture. 

“Sounds like you had quite the dream,” Susan commented. “And how’d you wake up?”

Lionel thought back to the little flashback he’d had earlier, but decided not to mention it. “Err… I woke up a little earlier than you did, right at the sound of church bells and the birds. Got up, got dressed– you know, the usual.” 

“Oh, me too!”

“How nice.”

The small morning conversation was then interrupted by a small sound coming from the stove, signaling that breakfast was ready. Lionel went to go fetch the food, gathering plates for both him and Susan before serving the dishes along with a nice cold glass of milk. Together, the two dined with Lionel neatly cutting into his food, then using his fork while Susan ate with his hands. It was a mixture of both a quiet and loud breakfast. 

Once breakfast was finished, Lionel went to his main working space to check his map, to see where they would have their next adventure. However, as he was looking through the map, he heard a knock on the door. He went to go answer it, and found that it was the paperboy with an envelope in hand. 

“A letter addressed to Sir Lionel Frost,” the paperboy announced. “From a Madame Adelina Fortnight.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise upon hearing those words. He took the envelope from the paperboy, giving him a small tip before going back into the house, proceeding to tear the envelope open. Inside, he found that there was indeed a letter addressed to him written by Adelina in her unique, elegant handwriting. 

To say Lionel was shocked would be an understatement of the century. He was absolutely gobsmacked by the fact that after all these years, Adelina had finally written to him again. The last time she had written to him was when she had ended it between them, breaking off their relationship through a letter… a letter that he kept in his bottom drawer, along with all of her previous letters she had written, from when they were still together. 

(He could still remember the day he’d gotten the letter and read it, how angry and hurt she was from how it had been written… and how heartbroken he had been when he finished it, and yet he still clung to it and all of the other letters. 

A part of him kept them all for the sake of nostalgia, to read them and look back fondly on the old times… and another part of him kept them because they were one of the few things he still had from her. Keeping them made him feel like a part of her was still with him, even if she wasn’t… even if she was gone, far out of his reach.)

It had been quite a while since she had written that he couldn’t help but wonder why she chose to write to him _now_ after all this time. Curious, he decided to read the letter.

_Dear Lionel,_

_How long has it been since we’ve written to each other? Ever since it ended between us, I believe._

He winced, remembering some of the words from her ‘final’ letter as he read the second sentence. _You’re never there for me when I need you,_ he recalled some of the words she’d written. _Sometimes, I wonder if you even see me as your equal, because it sure doesn’t feel like it._

He knew that he’d deserved it though, so he tried not to dwell too much on the sour memories as he continued reading the letter. 

_Well, I’ve decided to write to you again because I just want to say thank you._

Lionel blinked and read those words over again, trying to see if he had misread that, but he hadn’t. Adelina was actually thanking him, but for what?

He kept on reading, trying to find her reasoning… and he did. 

_If it weren’t for that visit and what you said about me “acting like a bird trapped in a cage” and for stealing the map, I don’t think I would’ve ever left the house. I think that if it hadn’t been for those words and the actions that followed in the night, I would have been stuck in there for the rest of my life, spending my days mourning in self-captivity with no one to pull me out into the real world._

_Granted, I wasn’t – I still am not – happy about you stealing from me, but I will say that it did lead to me realizing that you were right. I trapped myself within my own house, within my own misery for so long that it was time for this unhappy bird to break free from its cage._

_So thank you for helping me realize this, because now I’ve managed to take control of my life and go on my own adventure. In fact, as I am writing this to you now, I have explored Venezuela and even encountered some Hairy Dwarves._

Adelina’s words touched Lionel’s heart, giving him a warm, fuzzy feeling. He felt thankful to have at least done her _some_ good by bringing her out of her shell, since he had spoken the truth when he’d said how it hurt him to hear how she locked herself away. He was glad to have helped her move on, to take those first few steps towards starting anew.

Of course, he had expected her to still be a little miffed about the whole breaking in and stealing her dead husband’s map, but still… it was good to hear that the adventurous bird could finally fly towards wherever journey awaited her, and that she had already experienced her first expedition on her own. 

He couldn’t help but grin widely as he saw a little scribbling of a Hairy Dwarf right next to the paragraph. It did look quite similar to a sasquatch, yet there were some distinct features that he could find only within the creature and not Susan.

_Thank you for helping this bird break out of her cage, because now that bird is finally able to spread her wings and fly… and it’s all because of what you told me._

_And it is that reason that I’ve been feeling like I owe it to you, so much so that not only am I writing this to you as a little ‘thank you’ gift, but I want to also suggest something: why don’t we start writing letters again, just like old times?_

Lionel felt his heart almost stop upon reading this. Was she actually suggesting that they should start writing to each other again after almost a decade of complete silence between them? After a decade of their last letter being that – _that_ message, the one that tore his heart apart and served as a painful reminder of his mistakes?

_It’s been so long since we’ve done it, and I know my last letter wasn’t the most pleasant read… so why don’t we start doing it again? Write to each other about our adventures, share drawings, postcards and even photographs – do all that we did in the past and more? So even if we aren’t travelling together now, we could still maintain contact through letters._

_I just want to hear from you again, let you know how grateful I am and that I would love it if we kept writing to each other… but only if you wish to._

His heart ached as he knew she was right. The last letter between them had left things on a rough note, so a chance to start doing it again, to maintain contact through an exchange of friendly letters, photos and more seemed too good to be true. Just the mere fact that she even wanted to hear from him at all was enough to make his head spin with confusion, to make his heart beat fast yet ache with yearning at the same time… a yearning to go back to the start, to begin anew.

_In the meantime, I give you my best regards and wish you luck on your adventures,_

_Ever your friend,_

_Adelina_

Once he finished reading the letter, Lionel mulled over it all. 

Adelina wanted them to write to each other again, to maintain friendly contact… exchanging letters again would be a chance for him to be able to have a part of her with him at all times, instead of just having to settle for the old ones he kept, especially that last one. Writing to each other meant they could bond over their adventures, that they could share photos and everything… just the very thought of that made his heart soar. 

With all the warmth gathering in his chest at the idea, Lionel went and got a pen and paper, quickly writing a response. “Dear Adelina,” he said aloud as he wrote. “You are very welcome. I am glad to hear that my words encouraged you and that you’ve finally gone out and decided your own path in life. As for your suggestion to write to each other again, I would _love_ to…”

As Lionel was writing, Susan came into the room. “Hey, what’s going on?” the sasquatch asked. “I heard you talking and–” he stopped, seeing that the human was writing something. “Oh, you’re writing something! Who’s the letter for?”

Lionel looked over his shoulder at his friend. “Adelina,” he answered, a bit of dreaminess in his tone, before going back to writing.

“Cool,” Susan said, though he found Lionel’s tone a little weird along with how devoted he seemed to the letter. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he seemed to act a little funny… as funny as he was around Adelina, whom the letter was addressed to. Still, the sasquatch shrugged it off and guessed that it was something important, hence why Lionel’s tone changed. 

Once Lionel was done with writing the letter, he folded it, sealed it up in an envelope and went dashing out the door to the nearest post office. 

Oh yes, this was going to be the start of something grand… and maybe even more, Lionel hoped. One thing was certain: he couldn’t _wait_ for the letter exchange to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's all for this chapter! I'm mostly proud of it, though I'm a little anxious on whether or not the ending is... lesser, if that makes sense. My favorite part of writing this though was Susan, by far he's the most fun. Also getting into Lionel's mindset is never short of an experience.  
> Anyhow, I'll see you folks in the next chapter which will hopefully not take too long to post. See ya~


	4. way up high or down low, i'll go wherever you will go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _So lately, been wondering_  
>  _Who will be there to take my place_  
>  _When I'm gone you'll need love to light the shadows on your face_  
>  _If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all_  
>  _Then between the sand and stone, could you make it on your own_  
>  – The Calling, "Wherever you will go."
> 
> Wherein three years have passed, and Adelina makes a choice that brings her back to Lionel and Susan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry I took so long to upload this chapter. It's just that writing exposition can leave the mind to wander off and write over 3,000 words... that, and procrastination kills.  
> But anyway, here's chapter four, where we’ve finally reached a time skip. Yes, it’s a little quick to jump into it at only four chapters in, but the characters act rather impulsively in canon too so I think it’s justified. I hope you all enjoy and... yeesh, I really need to take a break from spending days writing these long ass chapters when it’s barely into the middle.

February 5th, 1901

Santa Ana, Orange County, California

2:33 P.M. 

It had been three years since the journey to Shangri-La, and a lot of things had changed since then. 

For one, Adelina had finally left her self-imposed exile and went to explore the world on her own, to experience her own adventures. She visited so many places, saw and discovered so many new things and met many new people – she got to choose her own new path and was thriving, truly. She got to experience the world after years of mourning, years of shutting herself away. She embraced the beautiful adventure that was life, allowing her spirit to run free. 

(She even got to open up to her old friends and family after being silent with them for so long, visiting them a year later after that eventful April of 1898. She didn’t tell them the entire story of what led to her breaking out of her cage, but she _did_ tell the basics – of an adventure in the mountains, finishing what her late spouse had started before deciding it was time to go on her own journey.

“Well, it’s about time you got out of that dusty mansion,” her papá had said, blunt in tone. “We were beginning to worry you’d shut yourself off permanently, that you became a _reclusa_.”

“What he means is,” her mamá had then started, stepping in for her husband, “we’re glad to hear that you’re moving on, mija, and it’s so good to see you again.”

Adelina spent the rest of the visit talking with her parents, brothers and in-laws, catching up with all of them. She told all of her nieces and nephews – especially her youngest brother’s new daughter, Imelda, who’d been born just a while before she’d visited – stories of her adventures, always answering whatever questions they had and encouraging their enthusiasm. It warmed her heart to her them cheer for her, and for one of them to say: “You’re the coolest tía ever, Titi Adi!”

After this visit, she made a mental note to send letters and try to visit whenever she could, so that she could make up for those two years of being absent on her family.)

Another thing was that she had recently turned forty-one, celebrating her birthday by traveling to the Swiss Alps. Admittedly, when it was near the third day of the first month of the year, she had been a little nervous. She feared she was getting to old, that she would grow more wrinkles and grey hairs that would take ages to pluck out, that the adventurous blood that coursed through her veins would stop flowing, that she’d become a hag… but thankfully, she had been wrong. Her little midlife crisis ended as soon as the third day of January came, and she’d actually felt quite at ease as she reached her early forties. She had grown older and wiser with experience, feeling very accomplished.

And last of all, she and Lionel started writing to each other again. After years and years of bitter estrangement, their friendship was fixed by not only the Shangri-La expedition but also their letters, which they wrote every single day. The letters ranged from sharing the adventures they’d had to exchanging sketches and pictures of what glimpses they caught from said expeditions, to speaking of how their days went about and how life was going for them. Writing to each other helped them catch up on things, maintaining a good level of contact despite the large distance between them. It was one good, fun efficient way of making up for the lost time.

Adelina could still recall the joyful relief that washed over her when she received Lionel's response to her letter that day in April, three years ago. She could remember how eagerly he had written of how he would _love_ for them to write to each other again, how it’d been so long and just how glad he was to hear from her again. She could remember how reading his words brought in a feeling of warmth and happiness, one that she hadn’t experienced in quite a while. She remembered the letters that followed, the fun little exchanges of photos and drawings and talks of mornings, adventures and afternoons and how their life was – she remembered all of the good things that came as a result of one single letter. 

Yes indeed, writing that letter to Lionel was one of the best choices she had ever made in life, along with going on that adventure to the mountains. Not only did it bring out the adventure in her, but it brought her and her dear friend Lionel closer again… well, as close as one could be through letters, since she'd been journeying alone while Lionel was off on expeditions with Susan in all sorts of far-off lands and undiscovered places.

Now, looking back on everything, she felt pretty accomplished and satisfied with the way her life was now. She got to go on her own adventure, she was no longer that closed off to the world as she’d been before _and_ she kept contact with Lionel through letters. There was no doubt that her life right now seemed pretty good, yes, but… lingering within her was this feeling, a feeling that there was something missing.

At first, when Adelina started to notice this feeling, she tried pushing it away. After all, she was living a good life and had everything she could ever wish for, so a feeling like that lingering within her made no sense at all. She tried ignoring it, keeping it hidden far away as she went on with her adventures and life… but no matter how hard she tried to hide them, they always came back,  _especially_ when it came to the time of day where she would exchange letters with Lionel.

Whenever she wrote to Lionel, these feelings would arise. Sometimes while writing, she found herself expressing them and would have to crumble up the paper afterwards and start all over because of it. Sometimes, while reading his letters and taking in all of the details of his adventures and experiences, a part of her would wish that she’d been there to see or experience it too… and she would always smack herself after that, scolding herself for her selfishness.

But she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t fight off the part of her that ached, that _yearned_ to be present with Lionel on his endeavors. She couldn’t ignore the envy and jealousy that clouded her at times when he would write of seeing new creatures while traveling through Asia or Europe, while she was off in some whole other continent. 

And she definitely couldn’t hide the worry and anxiety she got, thinking of how Lionel and Susan were fairing without her. It had been her expertise in maps and her knowledge of the way around the mountains that had gotten them to Shangri-La, and it had been her serving as the voice of reason throughout most of the trip. If it hadn't been for her, those two would've been lost, so to think of how they were doing while she was away... it was concerning. She knew both were rather grown and knew their way around the world – Susan having spent most of his life in the woods while Lionel was an expert in his practice, as it was one of the things that shaped him – but still, she couldn't help but worry for them at times. Sure, they never really got into _deep_ trouble on their adventures, but Lionel sometimes wrote of the few close calls they had, and those close calls always brought some concern.

But most importantly, Adelina couldn’t deny it any longer that she _missed_ traveling with Lionel and Susan. She had only gone on one journey with the two, yes, but it had been the most thrilling experience in all of her life – one that she could never forget, not even for a second. There were the ups and downs of it, of course – all of the times they nearly died thanks to Dunceby’s little bounty hunter, not to mention being thrown into an ice pit – but overall, it had been a wonderful time. Why, it led to her gaining a new friend in Susan _and_ getting on better terms with Lionel. She’d be lying to herself if she said it wasn’t the greatest journey of her life, one that couldn't be topped by any other. 

Sometimes, during her own escapades, she would look back on that particular escapade to the mountains. She'd look back at the moments in the carriage or the little speeches Lionel gave on the boat and at the ice bridge, or just every moment with Susan, his purity and his curiosity of the world around him and how he read things differently as opposed to his human colleagues. She looked back on all of the little things and more and just thinking of them brought both a small smile to her face and a yearning feeling, even now. Thinking about that time made her miss them so much to the point where she wished she could just go straight over to Lionel’s house and announce: “That’s it, I’m joining you two.”

Of course, she hadn’t done anything of the sort... _yet_. Instead, she now paced back and forth in her study, mulling over it all while Paca sat in her cage and listened to her mistress’ rambling.

“It’s been three years since we’ve gone on an adventure together,” Adelina started, going around in a circle. “And I miss them so much, but I don’t know what to do. I mean, going on my own adventure has been wonderful, but…” she was silent for a moment, feeling slightly embarrassed to admit it, but then, “It just doesn’t feel the same without Susan and Lionel.” She looked to her pet bird. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Paca?”

The parakeet blinked, then chirped.

Adelina sighed, shaking her head. “Of course you don’t. You’re only a little bird living inside its cage, not a free bird who doesn’t know whether to return to the flock or continue going on her own.”

On one hand, this bird wanted to fly back to her flock, but on the other, she felt a bit selfish. Her life was good now, yet here she was feeling unsatisfied due to one teeny, tiny little aspect. Her heart was saying _go to them, return to your flock mates_ , but a voice in her mind was protesting, saying _three years ago, you said it was time you went on your own adventure, yet now you no longer want to go solo? Make up your mind._

The only issue with that was that she didn’t know who or what to listen to, whether she should follow her heart or her mind. Everything was all so mixed up and she _hated_ it. She hated how indecisive she was, that her heart and mind were butting heads, that the urge to sail all the way over to England wouldn’t go away even when she’d been traveling – she hated it all _so much_. Why couldn’t she just make up her mind and have it all be over with? It was one simple choice to either stay solo or to join the duo, just what was so hard about making it? And why did it make her stomach bubble up and squeeze while something in her head pounded?

She groaned in frustration, plopping herself down in the lounge couch. Next to the lounge couch had been a table with a stack of letters from Lionel that had come only a day ago, most of which now fell onto Adelina’s face. 

The woman sat up, making most of the letters slip down her shoulders save for one which she caught in her hands. She opened it up and smiled a little, seeing that it was one from only yesterday. She recalled how he’d wrote about his most recent venture in Japan as he tried finding the Tsuchinoko, a snake-like cryptid. He and Susan had searched throughout Western Japan for the creature, until they came across it in the damp forest, slithering up a branch. Lionel had managed to snag two scales from it along with two photos as the Tsuchinoko jumped up to a meter in distance, followed immediately by a second jump while still in the air. A photo and scale had been attached to the letter as proof, the picture showing a black serpent with a thin head and tail and a wide girth in between.

Adelina smiled as she remembered how Lionel had written like a giddy little school boy about his new finding, how it was a miracle to have gotten a scale from a creature referenced in the kojiki, the oldest book about the history of Japan – a feat no one in the country had even gotten _close_ to, as most could only catch a quick glimpse of the creature before it used its jumping skills to quickly escape human sight. The way Lionel got enthusiastic about cryptids, the level of passion in his words as he’d speak or write about them… it always one of the things about him that she loved- _liked;_ it was one of the things that she liked about him. 

It was another one of the many things she missed about him too. During their venture to Shangri-La, he had gone on a tangent about cryptids once, eager to have discovered sasquatch and to later on discover the yeti, too… now, she hadn’t heard that voice in years, how it rose with giddiness, how it grew stronger with passion, how soothing it could be at times… she thanked the heavens for giving her a strong mind and sense of memory, so that she wouldn’t forget how it sounded.

Occasionally, when on her own ventures around the world, she sometimes liked to imagine that Lionel and Susan with her at certain points, thinking of all the cheeky remarks Lionel would probably make, all the questions Susan would have to ask… how Lionel would take a bit of evidence of their discoveries with him back to his place and then commend her for both Susan and her for their efforts, all while already planning the next adventure.

Her smile soon turned into a frown and she sighed, leaning back against the pillow of the lounge couch and looking up at the ceiling. Why did her feelings have to do her so dirty like this?

“¿Hay algo mal, señora?”

Adelina looked from the ceiling over to the doorway, seeing Ricardo standing there with a tray of tea in his hands. He slowly entered the room, placing the tray on the table next to the lounge couch. 

“No, no pasa nada, Ricardo,” she lied, sitting up to take the cup of tea and take a quick sip of it. “Todo esta bien.”

The butler raised an eyebrow, noticing how her words and body language contradicted one another. “¿Estás seguro? Porque me parece lo contrario.”

Adelina thought of whether to lay it all on Ricardo or not, but then realized that he wouldn’t take too kindly to her lying to him. Besides, they’d known each other for years ever since she hired him after _that_ incident. He was one of the two friends she’d had while shut away, the one person she could talk to during those times, so she knew she could trust him. 

So, she put the tea cup down and began to tell him of her personal dilemma – of her conflicting feelings and her indecisiveness, how she wanted to join her two friends yet a part of her nagged for wanting to go on her own three years ago. She dumped it all onto the butler, who kept a neutral expression and only nodded with the occasional “uh huh” at every little detail.

Once she was finished explaining her little dilemma, Adelina asked Ricardo, “¿Qué debo hacer, Ricardo? I just can’t stop thinking about them and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Well, señora, I don’t know what to tell you,” Ricardo said, with as much bluntness and honesty as he could. “In the end, it is your decision, not mine. It is up to you to figure out whether you want to go or not.” He noticed how her shoulders fell slightly and how her head turned down, and then added, “But if you _really_ want my advice, then here is what I suggest: do what feels right to you. Don’t let some silly nag in your head get to you – if a certain choice feels right, then make it.” 

She looked at him, listened to his words and then nodded. “I see. Bueno, gracias por el consejo, Ricardo.”

“De nada, señora,” Ricardo replied, bowing his head to her. He turned to exit the room, but not before adding, “I do hope you heed my advice. While you did act on your choice rather impulsively last time, you came back a happy and accomplished woman – a side of you I hadn’t seen at all during the time you hid yourself away.”

Adelina watched as the old man left, then thought over his advice. “Do what feels right,” she repeated softly to herself. 

She thought back to that day she chose to go on that adventure, the day she decided it was time for the unhappy bird to break out of its cage. She thought back to the adventure itself and how it had been a very fun yet very wild experience, nearly costing her life at certain points, but she would be _damned_ if she didn’t say she enjoyed every second of it and how it brought her, Lionel and Susan so close, in a way she never thought they’d all be.

And she would be even more damned if she lied and said it didn’t feel right when she closed her eyes, picturing herself venturing with them… because it felt _so right_. When she imagined herself with them, she felt happy and content. The longing feelings that plagued her seemed to soften as she envisioned herself on an expedition with them, discovering a new civilization or creature. The very thought felt so right, so fulfilling to her that she felt her heart pump with excitement, felt her lips curl into a grin.

She then tried to imagine continuing solo, going on without them to see if she could feel something akin to what she did when imagining them with her… only to feel something tug at her heart, pulling at it harsher than a person would pull at a rope during a tug of war. She felt felt her chest squeeze, felt her heart pump slower, felt her grin wash away into a frown… not a single bit of the idea felt right, not even in the slightest. The thought of it all felt… wrong. It felt so, so _wrong_.

Adelina opened her eyes, breaking away from her thoughts. She took a moment to register her varying feelings on the two plausible choices she could make, until she finally knew what was the right one. 

And so, she stood up and went over to her desk, going through her drawers to find some paper and a pen.

She knew it would take a little while for her to arrive after the letter was sent, but it would be worth it.

* * *

 

February 8th, 1901

London, England 

4:34 P.M.

“When do you think Adelina’s going to get here?”

“Any moment now, Susan, so stay patient. You know how long those boats can be sometimes, especially when carrying passengers from countries outside of the continent.” 

“Says the man who’s been tapping his cane and glancing back at the big clock every minute.”

At the docks, Lionel and Susan were waiting for Adelina to arrive. While Susan was waiting as patiently as he could, asking the occasional _will she be here yet,_ Lionel was tapping his cane in anticipation, constantly glancing between the port and the big clock as he waited for the woman to come.

It had been three days ago that Lionel had received a letter from Adelina, telling him that she owed him a long overdue visit and that she was going to meet him and Susan at the docks. He remembered being so giddy when he received the letter that he’d raced out into the docks and waited for her for an hour and a half, before it then hit him that it would take several days for her to get all the way from Santa Ana to England, especially on boat. Still, that didn’t really help his lack of patience, but in his defense, he hadn’t had a visit from her in _three years_. All the contact he had with her were letters during those years, which he of course loved as any contact with her was a blessing, but still… the small pictures and scraps she’d gotten from adventures that she sent through letters couldn’t erase the fact that it had been too long since they’d seen each other in person. 

Three years – god, he still couldn’t believe it had been that long since that wild escapade of theirs. Time really did go by fast, didn’t it? It seemed like only yesterday, they’d been climbing the mountains between Nepal and Tibet, trudging through all that snow… and now, here they were, a trio about to be reunited after one of them had gone off on their own while the other two went on their own fun little adventures.

To think, things had changed so drastically over the years… it was a lot to digest, even now.

His thoughts soon came to an end though as he heard a loud horn going off, followed by Susan shouting: “Hey, look over there!”

Lionel blinked, his eyes following to where Susan was pointing and saw a ship coming to the docks marked "St. Inmaculada," which he recognized as a ship that traveled between California to London. His heart began hammering as he realized she was here. After hours of waiting, she was finally _here_.

“Do you think that it could be her?” Susan asked him.

“Of course it’s her,” Lionel replied, eyes glued to the ship reaching the docks. “What other boat would she board that travels from the west coast in the pacific to Northern Europe? Now come, Susan, let us not dally.” With that, he rushed forward to the edge where passengers would set foot upon ground while Susan trailed behind him, yelling for him to slow down, but he wouldn’t, not when he was so excited to see _her_ again. 

When he got to the area where passengers would get off at, many folks seemed to be gathered around, calling out to their loved ones who’d returned while others were just being friendly strangers greeting other friendly strangers. He made his way through the crowd, shoving a couple of people in the process – to which Susan had to apologize for his friend’s behavior – until he finally made it to the front. There, he watched as many passengers got off the boat, some carrying luggage with them while others walked freely. He looked around, scanning through to see if Adelina was amongst any of the female passengers, only to find nothing.

“Do you see her anywhere?” he asked Susan as he walked up next to him. 

The sasquatch looked out, squinting his eyes and scanning through the many passengers himself. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t see her.”

Lionel made a moue for a moment, sulking even. Of course she wasn’t there, of course he had gotten worked up over nothing – _of course_ he was being impatient, like always.

“Aw, c’mon, don’t be like that,” Susan said, trying to cheer him up, but the man continued with his sulky pouting. “I’m sure she’ll come soo–” the sasquatch stopped mid-sentence as he saw something out of the corner of his eye. “Look!”

Lionel’s gaze followed, his eyes widening as he saw that amongst the last folks to get off was Adelina, who walked down the wooden boarding with a large smile on her face. She was dressed in a black vest with a white frilly bowtie, white pants and long black boots. 

He could only freeze up and stare as the woman came walking down towards them, while Susan cried cheerily, “Adelina! She’s here, Lionel!” 

But the cryptids investigator said nothing. He could only blink, staring at the beauty walking towards him.  

“Hello, gentlemen,” Adelina greeted the two once she came up to them. 

“Hi, Adelina!!” Susan greeted her cheerily. He looked over to Lionel, noticing how still and silent he was. “Um, Lionel, aren’t you gonna say hello?” The man didn’t respond. He just continued to stare, which made Susan snap his fingers in front of his face. “Lionel!”

“Lionel?” Adelina asked softly, stepping closer to him. 

Lionel shook his head quickly, coming around to fix his focus. “Oh, uh, yes… errr, hello, Adelina,” he managed to get out, waving a hand at her. He straightened himself up, cleared his throat and said, “It- it is wonderful to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too,” she said with a nod. She looked between the cryptids investigator and the sasquatch. “The both of you. It’s been so long since we’ve been together.”

“Yes, it has been quite a while, hasn’t it?” Lionel asked, a small smile making its way across his face. “It still feels like only yesterday, we were climbing mountains and running from yeti guards…”

“And now we’re here,” Adelina finished softly, a smile on her face too.

They both just looked at each other for a moment, smiling. Susan looked between them, a little confused by how weird they were being. “Uh, guys? Helloooo?” 

“Oh!” The two quickly turned their eyes to Susan. 

“What is it, Susan? Is there something you’d like to say?” Lionel asked the sasquatch.

“No, it’s just…” Susan trailed off, trying to find the right way to put it without going the blunt route with _you guys are being weird_. Eventually, he shook his head with a sigh. “Nothing. It’s nothing, just- I’m really happy we’re all here right now,” he said, swiftly shifting back to the main topic.

The two nodded in agreement to this. “So am I,” they spoke in unison, before stopping and looking at one another. 

“Oh, I–”

“Sorry, I–”

“No, it’s fine–”

“I just–”

“No, really, it’s–”

Susan watched as the two stumbled on their words while sheepishly grinning at one another, and eventually yelled out, “ _Hey_!” Once the two turned back to him, he went on to suggest, “Since we’re all here, why don’t we do a fun activity together?”

“Well, I did have one thing in mind,” Lionel spoke, shifting awkwardly as he looked to Adelina. “I was thinking that perhaps, we could all sit down for some tea together?” he suggested.

“Oh!” gasped Susan, a wide smile making its way across his face. “That’s a great idea!”

“Glad to hear that,” Lionel said, flashing a quick smile at his assistant. His gaze went back to Adelina. “What do you think, Adelina?”

“It’s funny you mention tea,” Adelina said with a light laugh. “I was going to ask if we could go back to your place for some tea and a small chat.”

Lionel’s eyes flickered, before he let out a small laugh. “Well in that case, we best be heading there then.”

“Yes, we best be going there,” Adelina said teasingly, in a mock accent. 

Susan let out a low squeal as the trio began heading back to Lionel’s flat. Oh, this was great! They were all together again and they were going to have tea and everything was _fantastic_. Sure, Lionel and Adelina were being a little weird, but it _had_ been some time since they were around each other, so it was _kind of_ understandable. All they needed was a bit of time together and things would start getting less weird... at least, he was _pretty sure_. 

* * *

“So, from what I have gathered from your letters, you’ve been having quite the adventure?” Lionel asked as he carried in a tray of tea cups and a kettle, setting it down on the living room’s table.

“Oh yes, definitely,” Adelina answered. “It’s all been so wonderful.”

“Adelina, did you ever see unicorns on your ventures?” Susan asked her curiously.

Adelina shook her head. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t seen a single unicorn.”

Susan’s shoulders sagged. “Dang it,” he sighed. He then shrugged. “Oh well, maybe one day…”

“Don’t worry, Susan. If I ever find a unicorn one day, I’ll tell you all about it,” Adelina giggled while Lionel poured the tea. She quickly took her own teacup, taking a sip. “Mmm, Lionel, this tea is delicious!”

Lionel was going to take his own teacup, but stopped for a second as he heard this. He felt his cheeks heat up, just a little. “Thank you, Adelina,” he said, quickly going back to taking his teacup. “I spent a good while making it.” His fingers twitched slightly as he lifted the cup to his lips, sipping some tea.

Susan grabbed his cup and quickly took his own sip. “Wow! It’s really good!” He licked his lips and clicked his tongue, trying to sort out the aftertaste. “Sugary, but not too much… a little fruity, with a hint of chocolate… hmm, I like it! Definitely better than the batch you made yesterday afternoon!”

Lionel suppressed a roll of his eyes. “Glad you like this batch more then, Susan. I'll start taking notes for any future tea times we have.” He turned his attention back to Adelina. “So I take it that the life of solo adventuring has been treating you well?” 

“Yes, yes, it has,” Adelina replied. She took another sip, then asked, “And I take it that from all that you’ve written, your adventures have been quite fun, right?”

“Indeed.” Lionel nodded. “Susan and I have gone to so many places and seen so many extraordinary creatures, even grabbed some proof here and there and learned a bit of languages on the way.” He looked to his assistant. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Link?”

“Mmhm, yep! We went to like, at least twenty countries so far,” Susan confirmed. “India, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Japan- you know, in Japan, there was one point where Lionel tried speaking with locals in Nagasaki,” he began to ramble. “And he kept switching between Dutch and Japanese because ‘there was the Dejima post here between 1641 to 1854, so maybe there’s some people still around from those days who picked up on Dutch!’ Then after he kept gurgling random Dutch and Japanese words, this one woman spoke to him in English and _boy,_ he was so embarrassed. You should’ve seen the look on his face!”

Lionel was about to take another sip of tea, but stopped before the cup could reach his lips. “I… do not recall anything like that,” he murmured evasively.

Meanwhile, the eyes of Adelina darted from Lionel to Susan, nerves tingling with curiosity. 

Susan seemed unperturbed. “Well, I do,” he spoke, a touch of humor in his tone. “I still remember you stuttering, ‘I – I didn’t think you could speak English’ and then trying to reword yourself when the woman gave you this look.” He mimicked the look, raising an eyebrow while his lips pursed in a way that was a mesh between a frown and a smirk.

That done did it.

A giggle arose from the woman sitting at the table. 

“What did the woman say to this?” asked Adelina in amusement.

“She said, ‘Well, I certainly didn’t think that a _gaijin_ like _you_ could speak a lick of Japanese, not even in a mediocre level like you’ve just displayed,’” said Susan, ignoring the fact that Lionel was sending him a small glare that could cut like a dagger. “He just kinda shut up after that. Guess he was too intimidated or embarrassed… or maybe both, I dunno.”

“That’s quite enough now, Susan,” said Lionel sternly, his complexion changing from snow white to a shade of claret. 

“Why? What’s wrong?” Susan asked, confused by the man’s order. “I thought we were having fun.”

While Susan stopped with the embarrassing tale, Adelina decided to poke more fun at the man. “What’s wrong, Sir Lionel?” she asked teasingly. “Too embarrassed to admit that you’d been wrong?”

He would have shot a glare at her like he'd done with Susan, but the second his eyes laid upon her and he saw the cute little smile and heard her giggle, he stopped. “Maybe,” he conceded quietly. “Just a little bit.”

Adelina snickered. “Oh, Lionel, you’re so ridiculous sometimes.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “So I am,” he admitted. “But we have all had our moments.”

“True,” Adelina conceded. “We all do embarrassing things sometimes.”

“Or a lot of the time, depending on the week,” Susan added in, making the other two look at him and chortle. “What?”

After a few good laughs, there was a bit of silence as the three went back to drinking tea. Occasionally, Susan would make small comments on the little things such as the taste and 'texture' of the drink, or ask Adelina if she saw any random cryptid to which she would say no and he'd let out a sigh of disappointment. Lionel remained silent throughout. He tried piping up once, but found that no word could roll off his tongue, so he'd shut his mouth and kept quiet, keeping on sipping his tea while Susan and Adelina would speak once every few minutes, before silence came back.

He kept glancing at Adelina often. At a few points, she would stop sipping her tea and her eyes would meet his and he'd immediately look away. Then, when her eyes weren't focused on him, he would go back to glancing her way. Eventually, a thought crossed his mind the fourth time: earlier, they'd been speaking about how great their lives and adventures were, yet he couldn't help but wonder… if her life and solo explorations were so great, then why did she pause it to visit him and Susan? 

It wasn't like he wasn't glad to have her over, far from it, it was just that he wanted to know _why_ she chose to visit. 

So eventually, he decided to break the silence and ask: “Do tell me, Adelina, if your explorations have been so great, then what is it that brings you here on this day?”

Adelina turned to him. "Huh?"

“I mean,” he went on, “you could have set out and traveled to some grand far-off place today, but instead you chose to come here. Why?”

Adelina was quiet for a few seconds, which immediately made him feel ungracious and wish he had bitten his tongue, but then she opened her mouth and said, “Because I missed you two.”

Lionel stopped, gawking at her. Susan even almost choked on his tea from hearing those words. 

“You… what?”

“I came here because I missed you both,” Adelina went on. “I missed traveling with you two. I missed climbing mountains and sailing the seas with you two, discovering hidden civilizations and cultures… going to Shangri-La with you both was so _exciting,_ more fun than any solo adventure I’ve had.” She smiled as Susan let out an ‘awww.’ “I missed it all so much to the point where I’ve constantly been thinking about it, so I thought why not pay a visit? Maybe even suggest…” her words trailed away for a moment.

“Suggest what?” Lionel asked, curious. “What do you want to suggest?”

A smirk appeared on Adelina’s face. “Joining you two,” she supplied. “It’s been quite some time since our last journey together, so I was thinking that perhaps it is time for this nomadic bird to finally return to her flock. Besides, lord knows what kind of mischief you two could get into in the future. It’d be best to have someone to get you out of trouble just in case, no?”

Lionel went wide-eyed at this. “You mean…?”

“That’s right, Sir Lionel Frost,” Adelina said, her smirk growing by the minute as she stood up. “I’ve decided: from now on, I’m coming with you!”

Susan dropped his tea cup, stood up and lifted his hands over his mouth as he gasped, his eyes lighting up with elation. “Really?” When she nodded, he clapped his hands together excitedly, overcome with glee. “Oh my gosh, that’s _wonderful!!_ I’m so happy you’re back!” He turned to Lionel. “Aren’t you excited, Lionel? The trio’s finally together again!”

Lionel, on the other hand, remained silent for a few seconds, repeating the woman’s words in his mind. He was so stunned. After three years of going separate ways, Adelina was here, saying she was going to join them on their adventures. After years of having just letters as their one connection, she was finally going to be with him again – actually _there,_ in the flesh.

A surge of joy shot through him and a wide grin spread across his face. She’d _missed_ him and Susan so much that she came all the way over here, deciding to join them on their adventures because she wanted to be with them again… which in extension, meant that she wanted to be with _him_ too. Maybe, just _maybe,_ it also meant something more. 

Three years ago, she had told him: _“You are a great man, but I deserve_ greater _.”_ Well maybe now, since she came back, there was a chance that he could be great enough for her. Maybe, they could finally return to the way they had been before he had driven that wedge between them and further twisted a knife into it. 

But for now, he was just so glad to have her with him because in the end, he loved her and just the thought of having her with him was enough… right now, at least.

“Oh yes, I’m definitely excited, Susan,” Lionel finally said as he took a stand, his eyes on Susan for a few minutes before they shifted back to Adelina. “I am positively delighted to have you join us, Adelina.” He took her hand in his and gave it a light kiss. “Do believe me when I say it is an _honor_ to have such a radiant bird like you back in our flock.”

“And believe _me_ when I say it is an honor to be here with you two gentlemen right now,” Adelina replied, her cheeks flushing a little.

Susan paused from his rejoicing, stopping to look between the two. Once again, they were being really weird. Had years of being apart really made them so awkward? Well, hopefully it wouldn’t matter too much later on, since they’d get to have more time together to make up for the lost time. Perhaps then, things would get less awkward. 

So he went on to ask, "So since the trio's back together, maybe we could start an adventure now? Y'know, to celebrate?" 

The two looked at the sasquatch, then at each other.

“Well,” Lionel began, “I _did_ have some plans for an exploration next week.”

“You did?” both Susan and Adelina asked in unison.

“Yes, in the Netherlands,” Lionel answered. “And although I’d planned it for the upcoming week, seeing as how our dear Adelina has decided to join us again…” He made a gesture at the woman. “Why not start it today?”

Susan began clapping his hands again. “What a wonderful idea!!” He put a finger up. “Though quick question: should I pack my rain booties just in case?”

Lionel shrugged. “I guess you could, though I am pretty sure it is going to be the same weather as it is here–”

“Okay, cool! Be right back!” Susan cut him off, immediately running for his room to go pack his things.

Lionel rolled his eyes and shook his head while Adelina giggled. 

“Guess I should’ve packed some of my things to bring along for the trip too, huh?” 

“Don’t worry, I have already got the supplies area all covered.”

“Should’ve guessed you’d be prepared as always, what, with how you’re the quintessential explorer and investigator.” 

A small laugh escaped him. “Heh, yes. Yes, I am.” A pause, then, “It is good to have you back, Adelina.”

She took his hand into hers and gave it a small squeeze followed by a smile, making his heart beat both faster and slower all at the same time. “It’s good to be back.”

They both stayed like that for a moment, hand in hand and smiling at one another, until Susan came in with his suitcase. “Alright, I’m ready now! I’ve got everything I need, hopefully.”

The two quickly pulled their hands away, taking a step back from each other. 

“Oh good, um…” Lionel made a quick run across the room, grabbing his own suitcase full of supplies along with his cane. “Well,” he cleared his throat. “Since we are all set, we must not waste any more time.” He headed for the door, making a gesture for Adelina and Susan to come follow him. “Come, Susan, Adelina. Amsterdam’s cryptids aren’t going to wait for us.”

“Right!” Susan nodded, then went to follow Lionel. “C’mon, Adelina, let’s go!”

Adelina followed after him and the three all set off for the docs, where the boat to Amsterdam _and_ their new adventure awaited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, a great chunk of this chapter was deus ex-position machina and hell, even a little repetitive, but listen… at least it was a decent way to kick off the slow burn. That, and I struggle with wording things a lot, okay? Either way, despite all that, I’m still pretty proud of the cute moments I managed to bring out in this chapter. I hope that at least someone found this enjoyable, so yeah.   
> I apologize for the wait and if it’s not exactly high quality material and all, but I hope this turned out okay enough and that the characters weren't like, OOC or anything. Anyway, see you all in the next chapter (which I can’t really say won’t take as long as this one because I don’t really know, honestly). Bye!


	5. but i know one thing, that i love you (i love you, i love you, i love you)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I've been a lot of places all around the way,_  
>  _I've seen a lot of joy and I've seen a lot of pain_  
>  _But I don't want to write a love song for the world,_  
>  _I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl_  
>  – Michael Franti & Spearhead, "Say hey (I love you)."
> 
> In which the courtship begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo, so like it’s been a month since i’ve updated this?? once again, i apologize! life is getting to me and i’ve recently started up at my local university for guitar and spanish lessons, along with many other real life events sooo… yeah. i’m deeply sorry for all these long pauses between updates. hopefully, one day, i’ll be able to end the whole gaps thing and be able to post more regularly, but right now here’s chapter 5 ~~which has been brought to you by not only eagerness to finally upload after a whole ass month but also a bit of bitterness~~! enjoy!

The boat ride from London to Amsterdam had taken about a day and a night. On the way there, the three attempted to pass the time by starting small conversations and sharing fun stories while on deck, some of which were slightly embarrassing. 

“So then, he tripped the nun with his cane and then she hit her head against a bookcase outside a shop and all the books just fell on top of her,” Susan had rambled to Adelina at one point. “And he just looked over her and poked her with his cane, then said, ‘Well, she’s going to be out for a couple of hours. Mr. Link, you get her regular clothes, while I shall play the part of thy Sister.’” 

“My, is that really how you mugged that nun?” Adelina asked, looking over to Lionel to confirm if it was true or not. 

“Yes, that is how we mugged her,” Lionel admitted quietly, not looking at her due to his embarrassment. “Though I much prefer the term ‘snatching clothes’ in this regard since we didn’t really _attack_ her, per say.”

Adelina rolled her eyes and giggled. “Sure, whatever you say.”

Lionel pouted slightly. “So Adelina,” he said, trying to change the subject, “do you have any funny little stories you’d like to share?”

“Oh yes,” Adelina replied, nodding. “I do, actually.”

“Do tell us then.”

“Well one time, I was in Colombia, searching through the forest for Madremonte and…” She fumbled, pausing for a few minutes, then went on, “I stumbled onto this path where there was this man, a local hunter… and well, I’d been so deep in the woods that a few plants got tangled around me and so the hunter, he… he…”

“What?” asked Susan. “What’d he do?”

“Adelina, what did the hunter do?” asked Lionel as well, a bit of concern in his tone. 

“He must’ve mistaken me for Madremonte because he chased after me and tried to… to _capture me_ ,” Adelina continued with her story, rubbing her arms in embarrassment. “I kept yelling at him as I ran away that I wasn’t Madremonte, but he wouldn’t listen. It took his little assistant catching up to him and holding him back and me ripping off all the plants to get him to see that and _oh,_ if only you’d been there to see the look on his face!” Now, her embarrassment faded away to amusement as a smile crossed her features, and the way she spoke – it was as if she was trying to hold back a giggle. “His mouth was hanging wide open and his eyes were wider than moon craters, and he was gargling out gibberish. It was as if he’d seen a ghost.”

At first, Lionel’s blood had boiled at the fact that this hunter had tried to capture Adelina, but it quickly cooled down once she got to the bit where she’d shown him the truth. He couldn’t help but let out a smug chuckle upon hearing that the fool who’d tried to hurt his Adi- _Adelina_ had found that he’d been wrong and got a good dose of reality. “I bet he must’ve felt very foolish after that.”

“He certainly looked like he felt rather stupid,” Adelina tittered.

“Oh man, I wish I’d been there to see that!” Susan remarked, guffawing. “You know,” he began, wiping a tear away. “All this talk of hunters reminds me of all that one bar fight Lionel and I got into, before we went to your house on that day.” He looked to Lionel. “Remember? When that er… Stenk, was it? Yeah, yeah, I think that’s it. Remember when he tried to kill us back at the bar but then you punched him and then all of a sudden, everyone was fighting each other?”

“Oh yes, I do remember the whole bar fight.” Lionel gave a nod, then went on to recall it all, “Stenk ramming his head into my stomach, wrestling with him on the floor, you roaring at that…” He winced, recalling how the dog that had accompanied Stenk and his men and just how _ugly_ it was. “That _hideous_ excuse of a husky and shaking up the whole bar which turned said husky against its owner, taking Stenk’s gun only for that coward to run off, running after him and punching his tallest lackey’s stomach until the horse kicked him _and_ you shortly punching a man so hard he came crashing through the window – overall, not something one can easily forget.”

“I know, right?” Susan asked, throwing his arms up as he bobbed his head up and down. “Sometimes I just remember that night and I’m like _wow, that actually happened. I actually roared in a public space_ , and I just sit there and it’s like… _woah._ ” His eyes darted between his human friends, looking for a mutual understanding. “Ya know what I mean?”

“I… suppose I do?” Lionel replied, uncertain. “I guess, yes…”

“Sounds like you two have been having quite the adventures even before our little venture in Shangri-La,” Adelina remarked, intrigued by the story. “Even before you broke into my house and stole that map, you two were getting into all kinds of wacky shenanigans, like causing fights in bars and mugging nuns... guess there's a lot more that I missed out on, huh?” 

“Yes, there was quite a bit you missed out on,” Lionel replied, then reached over to take her hand into his. “But I can assure you that from now on, you won’t be missing out on anything anymore.”

She firmly pressed her fingers against his. “Good, because I wouldn’t want to miss out on a chance of adventure with you two.”

“Aww,” Susan cooed, clasping his hands together at the sight of the two smiling happily at each other. Then, he raised a finger and asked, “Speaking of adventure, what are we going to do when we get to the Netherlands? Like, what cryptid are we gonna find? Is it the pig women? 'Cause if so then I'm gonna have to say no to–” 

“I’ll tell you when we get there,” Lionel cut him off, a small smirk on his face. “All I can say now is that this is a creature who has been around for one thousand and three hundred years, before the Christian era.” 

“Really?” both Susan and Adelina asked, surprised. “ _Wow_ , that’s old,” the sasquatch murmured. 

“Lionel, what are you getting us into?” Adelina asked, eyebrows going higher in suspicion though a smile was still on her lips.

Lionel gave her that smirk, the one he always gave her when they were about to embark on some huge thrilling expedition or search for a cryptid. “You’ll see.”

On February 10th, around one o’clock in the daytime, they finally reached the port of Amsterdam. Grabbing their things, the three quickly unboarded the boat alongside the other passengers, eager to begin their adventure.

“Oh boy, we’re finally here!” Susan exclaimed excitedly as he walked alongside Lionel and Adelina through the docs. “It’s such a beautiful day – perfect for an adventure!” He was quiet for a second, then asked, “Hey, speaking of adventure, since we’re here now, can you tell us what cryptid we’re after now?”

Adelina nodded at the sasquatch’s question. “Yes,” she said, looking over to Lionel. “Do you mind telling us which legendary creature we’ll be discovering today?” 

“The creature – or rather _creatures_ – we will be searching for today, my good fellow and lady,” Lionel began, a confident smirk on his face, “are spirits known as Witte Wieven, or rather _Wittewijven_.”

“ _Spirits_?” Susan repeated the word. “You mean like _ghosts?_ You know, like the ones you read about in books and see in plays?” 

“Yes, spirits as in ghosts,” Lionel answered. “Though not _those_ types of ghosts.” 

“Then what kind?” Adelina asked him, crossing her arms. “Because I swear, if you’ve gotten us into a case of some Dutch version of La Llorona, then I’m going to–”

“Do not fret, Adelina,” Lionel interrupted her. “The Witte Wieven are not Dutch versions of the Weeping Woman. They are spirits of wise women, seeresses – their name even translates to such in dialects of the Low Saxon.”

“Seeresses?” Susan asked, eyes gleaming with excitement. “So they’re like shamans?”

“Err, no,” Lionel replied, shaking his head. “Shamans are usually indigenous or asian, and the Witte Wieven are european legends. No, what I mean is that historically, the Witte Wieven were thought to be wise female herbalists and medicine healers who took care of people’s physical and mental ailments.”

“Ohhh.”

“So I’m supposing they were one of those high status healers who foretold prophecies and predicted future events?” asked Adelina, who now had an idea of where this was headed.

Lionel grinned and tipped his cane off to her, nodding. “That’s right. Because they had a talent for prophecy and looking into the future, they had a high status in the communities and so when they died, ceremonies were held at their grave sites to honor them,” he explained, tone growing more eager as he talked of the spirits. “According to myths, their spirits remained on earth and they became living spirits – or elven beings, whichever you prefer – that either help or hinder people who encounter them.” 

"Ah, so they're kinda like witches?" Susan asked, then saw Lionel look at him as if to say  _what in the world are you talking about_. "I mean, like how there are good witches and bad witches. The good ones help you or offer good advice, and the bad ones... well, terrorize children and lovers and are mean to animals." 

"Sort of," replied Lionel slowly, a little weirded out by Susan's comparison. "It is more like this: there are some spirits that love to cause mischief, and then there are those who wish to guide the living along their journey. You have to be extremely cautious, lest you should face the hindering spirits." 

"Huh."

"And where do these wise women reside?" Adelina questioned, eyebrow raised and a smile on her lips that let him know she was already interested in this case. 

Lionel now had that thrilled, determined look in his eye – the look he got just as an adventure was about to begin. "I am glad you asked that, my dear," he said, pulling out a small map. He held it up, showing to the two that it was a map of Amsterdam. "See, the Witte Wieven tend to reside in sacred places; more specifically, burial sites and gravehills."

"So we are going to travel through Amsterdam to find a gravehill?" guessed Adelina. 

"Yes, but before we find the gravehill, we must find a few items first – gifts to give to the spirits," Lionel replied.

Susan's head tilted in confusion. "Gifts? Why do we need to give gifts to them?"

“Because, my good friend, these spirits are well-respected,” Lionel answered as a matter-of-factly. “And because they are well-respected, many people bring them offerings and ask for their help. If we were to bring offerings with us, then the Witte Wieven would surely come to us and listen to our questions, give us guidance and…” He went through his bag and pulled out a small camera. “Maybe even let us take a picture.”

“Oooh, I get it now! Good idea!” Susan gave a thumbs up and nodded. “I really like that.”

Lionel smiled at the sasquatch. “Glad to hear that you're on board with it.” He looked at Adelina, seeking her approval. “And you, Adelina? What do you think of this plan?”

“Well, it’s more well thought out than some of your previous ideas,” Adelina remarked. “And there’s not as much of a risk of dying as there was last time, so… where do we start?”

Lionel beamed at her. “Now that's the spirit!” He pointed his cane at a path ahead. “First, we shall start in the marketplace. There are bound to be many items that would make perfect offerings for the Witte Wieven.”  _And the mooie vrouw that stands with us as we speak,_ he added silently to himself. “Besides, with the long way here, we might also need a bit of breakfast too.” He began moving forward. “So come, let us get going.”

Susan and Adelina followed behind, and off they went to the market. 

* * *

The streets of Amsterdam were bustling, filled to the brim with folks and gossip. It seemed that everywhere one looked, there were always people ready with conversation, and the marketplace was no exception. All around were various stands with some that sold foods, books or toys while others sold rare jewels, dresses or fabrics. Every part of the market had at least one vendor that was selling something, and said vendor had at least a few customers who were either interested in buying what they had or just standing by the display while talking about whatever came into mind.

Susan looked around, awed by all of the stands around until his eyes settled on a fruit stand. “Oooooh!” He went over to fruit stand, eagerly looking over the fresh produce to see which one he’d try. There were crates of strawberries, oranges, grapes, cherries, blueberries, pomegranates – all sorts of fresh fruits were there. What caught his eye though were crates filled with bright yellow fruits: the _lemons_.

Over the course of his life, Susan had tasted many fruits, yet there was one he hadn’t tried before and that fruit was the lemon. He didn’t know why he hadn’t tried it before while in the wild, since there were plenty back then that he’d passed by. Maybe it had been the apples that distracted his attention or the huckleberries, or the salmonberries – whatever it was, it had put him off from trying lemons for quite some time, but now…

He picked up one of the lemons and brought it to his face. He gave it a sniff, taking in the distinctively clean, sharp and citrusy smooth, creamy aroma. _Well_ , he thought, _it smells good, so it must taste good too._ So, he brought it to his mouth and took a bite out of it... only for his eyes to widen as a sharp, sour taste scorched his tongue. 

The sasquatch let out a muffled scream as the acidic taste spread through his mouth and quickly spat out the piece of fruit, using his fingers to scrape the remaining pulp off his tongue until the taste no longer lingered. He began breathing in and out, letting out a groan. “What… the… _heck_?” he asked aloud, glaring at the fruit. “It smells good, but tastes like… like _guck_!”

Scrunching his face up, he was about to throw the fruit back into the crate, until he remembered something Lionel had told him when they’d gone out to a market in London. 

_“Remember, Susan: if you take a bite out of a fruit, a vegetable or any food for that matter, you’ll have to pay for it. This means no putting it back in the bin after you decided to try it and didn't like the taste.”_

Susan stopped, realizing Lionel’s words now rung true. He couldn’t just put the lemon back in the crate, not after he’d taken a bite out of it… no, he had to pass it onto someone else, so _they_ could take it and pay for it. A smile slowly formed back on the sasquatch’s face. Yes, that was it. He’d just pass the fruit onto someone else and hopefully, they would just accept it and go on to pay for it before the fruit vendor could notice what he'd done, leaving it out of his hair. Perfect – the plan was perfect in every aspect.

He looked around, trying to find someone to take the citrus weight off his shoulders. He soon spotted a dog nearby. “Aha!” 

Seeing that its owner’s attention seemed to be focused on another stand nearby, Susan went over to the down and crouched down in front of it. “Hey there, little fella! Would ya like a lemon?”

The dog stared at him and blinked, then sniffed the lemon.

“Oh, you like the lemon? Then here you go. Have a bite,” Susan said, setting the lemon down in front of the dog. 

The dog poked the lemon with its nose before licking it. 

“Good boy,” Susan whispered. He got up and was about to leave when he heard a man cry out, “ _Wat ben je aan het doen met mijn hond_?!” 

He turned and saw the dog’s owner, who was trying to take the lemon away from the hound, only for it to grab the fruit in its teeth and growl. The Dutch man quickly gave up and turned his focus to the sasquatch. “ _Wat heb je met mijn hond gedaan? Waarom voed je het zo_?” he demanded. 

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Susan asked, not understanding the man’s words. Despite traveling around with Lionel for three years, he hadn’t picked up on any other human language than English and a bit of British sign language. He could understand any animals’ language just fine even with the differences between his and theirs, but when it came to humans, he could only fully understand one out of the six thousand and five hundred spoken languages they had. It didn’t really help that Lionel didn’t really teach him any other language either, since he usually insisted on being a translator during trips. 

Luckily, Lionel happened to be close by and overheard the Dutch man’s shouting. He quickly rushed to his friend’s rescue. “Now, now, good sirs, there is no need to yell,” he said, stepping between the two. “Tell me, what seems to be the issue here?” 

The Dutch man blinked at Lionel, then his eyes narrowed as he pointed at Susan. “Your friend here,” he started, switching from his native tongue to English, “was messing with my dog.” 

The British man looked over to his bigfoot friend. “Is this true, Susan?”

“What? No, I wasn’t!” Susan quickly shot down the accusation. “I was only feeding it a lemon.” He pointed at the dog, who was currently trying to nibble on the sour fruit. “See?”

“Yeah, which you _aren’t_ supposed to do!” the Dutch man yelled. 

“Susan,” sighed Lionel. He didn’t sound angry or frustrated, just a little tired. “There are things dogs can eat, and then there are things they can’t eat. Lemons are one of the things they cannot eat.” 

“Why not?” Susan asked. 

“Well for one, the citric acid messes with their digestive system,” Lionel told him. “And two: there just isn’t any good reason to feed a dog a lemon… so why did you think it would be appropriate to feed this dog one?” 

Susan tried to say something, but ended up stumbling over his words before sighing. “I gave the lemon to it 'cause… I didn’t like the taste,” he answered. “After taking a bite, I remembered what you told me back then about eating something before paying so I thought: ‘well, why not give it to the dog? It might like it!’” He made a gesture at the dog. “And it seems to like the fruit from what I’ve seen.” 

The Dutch man was about to make a remark, but looked at his dog and saw that the sasquatch was right in a way, so he kept his mouth shut. Lionel, however, did say something in response. 

“Still, just because the dog likes the fruit does not mean its stomach will agree with it later on. Besides, you cannot just feed your food to someone else in order to take it off your shoulders. That is not how it works.” 

Before the sasquatch could say anything, the fruit vendor came in. “Excuse me, but is _anyone_ going to pay for that?” they asked, pointing to the lemon, which was now in the dog’s jaws. 

“I’m not paying for it!” the Dutch man was quick to say, before turning away. 

At this, Lionel shook his head and pulled a few coins out of his pockets, throwing them to the fruit vendor. “Here. Apologies for the issue.” 

The fruit vendor simply took the coins and let out a ‘hmmph’, then went back to their own business. This left Lionel alone with Susan, who gave a nervous smile as the man’s eyes narrowed slightly. 

“Sorry,” the sasquatch quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, I just–”

“It’s fine,” Lionel cut him off with another sigh. “At least he didn’t try to stir up a bar fight or attempt murder, unlike someone else…” Shaking his head, he began to walk away, to which Susan followed him. “ _Anyway_ … I don’t suppose you’ve found any offerings for the Witte Wieven?”

“Nope. How about you?”

“Nothing so far for the Witte Wieven.” Lionel’s eyes darted around, until they fell upon a flower stand. “As for our mooie vrouw, though…” He quickly went over to the flower stand and looked over all of the flowers. There were orchids, hyacinths, daffodils, roses, lilies – every kind of flower was there, but the ones that caught his eye in particular were the tulips and carnations.

Like any other upper class gentleman, Lionel was well educated enough and read up on many things, so of course he knew a lot about flowers and the language in them. He knew the meaning of tulips, of how red tulips were associated with true love while purple tulips were associated with royalty and yellow represented a hopeless love. He knew of carnations and how light red represented admiration, while dark red denoted a deep love and affection and white represented the purest affection and good luck. Lionel knew everything there was to know about the language of flowers and which would be the perfect offerings to Adelina, of which flowers would show her how he was besotted with her and that she would hopefully love.

Because although he was quite happy with having her travel with him, it wasn’t enough for him. It had been so long since they had split up, and he missed the relationship they’d had. He missed her like how a drunkard missed fine wine. He missed her like how the moon missed the sun, destined to chase it until the end of time. He missed her like how the sky missed the stars once daylight came, separating them from each other. He missed her like how a dry desert missed the rain, who would come around just when needed. 

When she was with him, all he could think of was her. All he could think of was the past they had, before it all went to hell – before he ruined it. All he could think of was all of the times he’d made her life, the way her eyes twinkled when they had confessed their feelings to each other, how he had held her for the first time and kissed her, how they were each other’s firsts in every sense of the word, how he had once ravished her and vice versa, all of the “I love you”s – all he could think of were these recollections of the past and each time he did, he was filled with so much _longing_ that his chest would squeeze tightly and his heart would start aching, truly _aching_. These memories made him feel happy once, yes, but now… now, they weren’t enough. 

Being Adelina’s friend wasn’t enough, because no matter how hard Lionel tried, he couldn’t fight that feeling – the feeling inside of him each time he looked at her, each time he heard her speak or laugh, each time they came within such close contact; the feeling he got by just _thinking_ of her. Being with her had opened his eyes, made him see just how much he truly missed her and how much he needed her. It was his fault that he felt this way, but he couldn’t help it – he wanted her _so much_. He could try to pretend that being merely friends was enough, that just exploring with her and having visits every so often were enough, but the yearning feeling within him always begged to differ. It was driving him mad trying to ignore the true wanting within him, so much so that he felt like he was out of his head. 

In the end, he couldn’t deny it – he loved her and wanted her. He wanted to hold her again, to kiss her again, to be the one she would say “I love you” to… he wanted to be her sweetheart again. He wanted to prove to her that he was great enough for her, that he would treat her right this time around and wouldn’t repeat his past mistakes _ever_ again. Most importantly, he wanted – no, _needed_ – her to see how much he loved her and to have those feelings returned. 

So he was going to prove himself to her. He was going to court her, or at least try to and hopefully, somewhere along the line, she would finally accept him back into her life. These flowers, the carnations and tulips, would be the start of the courting process – the start of his attempts of winning back her affections, her love.  

He could only hope that she'd like the flowers and that his attempts wouldn't backfire.

“Hey, Lionel,” said Susan, approaching Lionel from behind. “Whatcha looking at those flowers for?” 

“I’m looking to see which ones will be best suited for Adelina,” replied Lionel, eyes still focused on the flowers. 

Susan blinked, registering what the man had just told him. “Wait, you’re getting flowers for her? Why?” he asked, puzzled. He didn’t understand why one of his friends would just randomly decide to buy flowers for another friend as it wasn't something friends usually did, from what he usually saw. Sure, he could understand if the flowers were for the Witte Wieven as gifts in exchange for wisdom and advice, but as gifts for Adelina? He didn’t get it. 

“Because,” Lionel began, turning to Susan, “I am trying to court her.” 

“Court her?” Susan tilted his head, still confused. “What do you mean by that?”

Realizing that the sasquatch had lived years in the woods and was only now slowly trying to get accustomed to humans’ way of life, Lionel went on to elaborate: “Courting is when someone tries to win another person’s favorable attraction, usually romantically.”

“Oh, so it’s like mating?” asked Susan, now having a slight understanding as to what his friend was getting at. “Like, when a male animal tries to attract a female to be his potential mate – is that what you’re trying to do with Adelina? You’re trying to do a mating ritual with her?”

Lionel’s face flushed. “Well, when you put it _that_ way…” he trailed off, fiddling with his cane since he usually associated the term mating with rather lewd things. “If you get rid of some of the usual more racy aspects of the ritual, then…” he cleared his throat and straightened himself up. “Then yes. Yes, I am trying to do a mating ritual with Adelina.” 

“Oh,” said Susan. He thought over the man’s words, but still found that his confusion failed to cease. He didn’t understand why Lionel was performing this mating ritual like this, since in the woods, it was simple: the male – usually an alpha – did a dance or showed off his dominance, and the female – usually an omega, to compliment the alpha – would either decline or accept the male’s advance and then they’d do some weird wrestling move. At no point were flowers involved, unlike in Lionel’s supposed version of the ritual… and usually, the ritual didn’t involve exploring partners, yet here Lionel was trying to court Adelina despite their dynamic which only added more to Susan’s puzzlement. 

The bigfoot just couldn’t understand it. Why was Lionel acting so weird? Why was he courting Adelina? They were friends, and friends usually didn’t act like this. Friends didn’t court other friends… at least, he thought they didn’t until now. Now, he wasn’t sure anymore. With how the cryptid investigator was acting, the bigfoot was beginning to question the dynamic the trio had… and he had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting full concrete answers anytime soon.

“But why Adelina?” Susan went on to ask Lionel, just as the man was gathering up a bouquet of carnations and tulips. “I thought she was your friend.” 

“She is my friend,” Lionel said as he added a tulip to the bouquet. “But as I told you before back in your old cave, we were more than just acquaintances.” A somber expression graced his face as he picked up a striped carnation, a symbol of regret over a love that couldn’t be shared. “Years ago, she used to be my lover.” With a sigh, he put the striped carnation back in the flower crate. “I wronged her in many ways though, and well… I am sure you know what happened next.” His expression then got a little hopeful. “But that was years ago and now, we are on much better terms. However, while I do love our friendship, I cannot lie to myself and say that being just friends is enough.” He plucked out a deep red carnation and lightly dragged his fingers over the petals. “I love her. I love her in so many ways, you would not believe. When I look at her, I don’t see just a friend or a traveling companion. I see someone who makes my heart race faster than a cheetah.” He placed the flower within the bouquet, then looked to his partner. “Do you understand what I am saying?” 

“I… guess?” Susan replied, still unsure. He gave half a shrug. “I mean, it’s still kinda weird… I understand you and her had a thing in the past but right now, hearing you go like ‘I love her and I wanna mate with her’ and it’s just- this is a lot to take in, you know? I’ve never really seen anything like _this_ before. It isn't anything I'm used to.” 

Lionel breathed in, ready to say something, only to exhale and shake his head. His friend obviously was still getting used to human concepts, so he shouldn’t have expected him to take this all in at once and immediately understand. “That’s fine,” he said. “Just– nevermind. The point is that yes, these flowers are my courting gift to Adelina. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pay for them.”

He brushed past his friend, going off to find the flower vendor. This left Susan standing alone, pondering. The sasquatch pondered on what Lionel had told him of his feelings for Adelina, the way the human man started the mating ritual on such a strange note and just how it would affect the trio's dynamic... which led the bigfoot to ponder on their dynamic now, and just how strange it was.

In the wild, he had seen packs and herds and in those packs and herds, there was a simple dynamic: the men were the alphas, the top of the group. They were the most skilled, the most intelligent members of the group. They were the _leaders_. Meanwhile, the women were… well, he never found it fair, but the truth was that they were either in the middle or the bottom; the omegas. They were the mates, mothers and daughters. They were the healers, the second rank, the lackees – they were _second_ rank while the alphas were first. 

Yet in _their_ – pack, he supposed. Yes, there were only three of them, but he didn’t know what else to call the group and he couldn’t just keep calling it a trio, so pack it was. Anyway, in their pack, it wasn’t anything like that. Actually, now that he thought about it, it was the exact opposite. 

The only female in their pack was Adelina, and she was anything short of the second rank. On the road to Shangri-La, _she_ was the one with the map and knew her way through the mountains like the back of her hand. She was the one who shot at that Stenk guy back at the train station, the one who beat up those yeti guards that they used as a ramp to get out of that ice pit, the one who told Susan to try grabbing onto the large piece of ice when they were dangling for their lives – she was the one with the most leadership skills. Sure, Lionel did guide them around and was the one who talked of the trip extensively, and Susan had to give him credit for all of his efforts. Without Lionel, he would’ve still lived a lonely life in the woods… but without _Adelina_ , they would’ve gotten _nowhere_.

It was clear as day who was the leader of the pack – Adelina, without a doubt or question. She was strong, impactful, resilient and dignified. She lived her own truth and refused to play games. At her very core, she was an alpha. 

Meanwhile, while Lionel did have some leadership qualities here and there, he was more of a second rank. In fact, the more Susan thought about it, the more apparent it was that Lionel had a _lot_ of omega qualities to him. For one, he was a great thinker, coming up with such grand schemes to get to where he needed to go. During the roadtrip to Shangri-La, it had been _him_ who suggested giving Stenk the slip. He was the one who gave Susan that speech of how he would take him to where he truly belonged – not with the yetis who resented him, but with the humans who had shown him their unconditional love since day one. Lionel was the man who stood up to Dunceby even as the old man held a gun, defending his friends and standing up for what was right. Lionel was the one who made his own way, the one with artistic behavior, the one who was difficult to comprehend at times, the one who loved being in his own world – an omega in every sense of the word.

And Susan… well, he didn’t know where he fit into the equation. He was definitely not an alpha, but he didn’t really know if he had omega qualities either. Perhaps he was in the middle – a beta, the subordinate. Yes, that was it. He was a beta.

So their little pack, their little food chain, went like this: Adelina was at the top as the alpha, Susan was in the middle as the beta and Lionel was at the bottom as the omega. Despite this though, the food chain was still shaken up with how Lionel was the one to start the courtship with his weird ways of rituals.

The omega was courting the alpha, bringing her flowers and such despite their history and dynamic proving that this was a wild idea to even think of. No matter what, it seemed that the omega male wouldn’t be dissuaded. 

Susan watched as Lionel paid the flower vendor and knew well enough that by the ambitious look on the omega’s face, he wasn’t going to give up on this ritual anytime soon. Lionel was going to make Adelina his mate, and all Susan could do was follow him, observe and ponder.

* * *

Lionel breathed in, his eyes focused on a particular woman who was talking with a vendor that was selling grains and spices. This was easy. All he had to do was show the flowers to Adelina, say a few sweet things and then, she would be swept off her feet. She would love the flowers – she had to – and in turn love him, even if just a little bit. It was a perfect idea, completely foolproof. There was no reason for it to go wrong, no reason at all, so he exhaled and began approaching.

“Thank you!” Adelina smiled as she took three small bags of rice from the vendor, tipping her head to them before she turned to find Lionel and Susan, only to stop as she saw the latter approaching. “Oh, Lionel! There you are.” 

The way she said those words made his heart almost pound harder. _There you are,_ spoken as if he was something lost that she had been searching for, only to be found in a reasonable place. 

“I was going to look for you and Susan,” she went on. “But well…” She glanced over his shoulder, and he turned his head slightly to see the sasquatch not too far away, before the two humans faced each other once more. “Looks like I don’t have to.”

“Heh, yes – I mean no, you do not,” Lionel said, stumbling over his words. “I mean – I mean yes, you do not have to go looking for us.” He gave a twitched, nervous smile while she just stared at him.

Then, Adelina’s eyes shifted down to his hands, where she found the bouquet of flowers resting. “Well now, I see you’ve got yourself some offerings,” she remarked teasingly. “I suppose you’re going to charm the ghost into taking a photo by giving it flowers?” 

The top of his ears went red. “Oh, these?” he asked, fumbling with the bouquet. “Uh, well actually, these are for _you_ ,” he corrected her, holding out the posy to her. 

She blinked, glancing between the bouquet of tulips and carnations and him for a moment. “Oh.” Then, she gave a grin and took the bouquet. “Why thank you, Sir Lionel. They’re lovely.” 

He puffed his chest out proudly. “Of course! Only the loveliest of flowers for the loveliest lady!” he exclaimed. It was a few minutes before he registered what he’d said, and he immediately tried to correct himself: “I – I mean – I did not – what I meant was–”

Adelina laughed, amused by the way Lionel sputtered. “Don’t worry. I understand what you meant.” She sniffed the flowers. “And they really are the loveliest of the bunch.” 

(She wasn’t lying when she said she knew what she meant. She knew _exactly_ what he was going for with the bouquet, especially with the particular flowers he picked out and the meaning behind them. She knew what carnations and tulips stood for. She wasn’t stupid, she wasn’t naive – she knew what he was doing.

He was trying to court her, to charm and flatter her with gifts and words so that she would take him back, so that she would give him her affections. She knew that was the reason why he picked up the flowers and gave them to her, and while she would be lying if she said she wasn’t amused by him and didn’t find it flattering… she wouldn’t be swayed to let down her walls that easily. 

She wished she could. She wished she could easily let down her walls and allow herself to let him in, to even kiss his cheek in turn, but she couldn’t. It had been so long since they drifted apart, and so many things happened that set up so many walls around her heart. She was apprehensive not only because of his past mistakes, but also because she didn’t want to enter a relationship only for it to fall apart. She knew he changed during the Shangri-La adventure, but she didn’t want to risk it. She couldn’t risk that, not now.

Not until he was great enough for her.)

Not too far from them was Susan, who was watching the two, glancing between them confusedly. He still didn’t get the point of Lionel presenting Adelina with the flowers, especially since the alpha seemed to just giggle at him, all while the omega was sputtering. Why were they acting like this? If they were going to perform a mating ritual, why did they have to go about it in such a complicated manner? The two were so odd… and unfortunately, it seemed like it would only get more odd from here on out during their adventures.

“Anyway,” Lionel said, finally ending the sputtering, “glad to see you like the flowers.” Though he wished she would’ve made more comments other than that they were lovely, particularly on their meaning which she didn’t seem to notice at all, much to his disappointment. Hell, she wasn’t even really as into them as he thought she’d be. Sure, he didn’t expect her to squeal over them, but he expected _something_ … but no, she barely reacted to them.

What was he doing wrong?

“Of course I do,” she said, like _duh_. “Who doesn’t like flowers?” Then, she placed the bouquet in an arm lock before reaching for two of the bags of rice, holding them out. “Oh, and guess what I found: the perfect offerings for the Witte Wieven.” 

“Oh! What are those? Chocolates?” Susan asked, taking a bag. He opened it, only to see the exact opposite of what he had guessed. “Grain? What kind of offering is that?”

Lionel took his own bag and looked inside, then quickly went to correct the sasquatch, “Actually, Susan, it’s _rice_. In many cultures and traditions, rice was – and still is – a very sacred dish, which makes it the perfect offering.” He looked back at Adelina, smirking. “A very smart choice if I do say so myself.”

“You flatter me, Sir Lionel,” said Adelina, returning the smirk. In her eyes was a slight twinkle, and their eyes met for just a moment – 

Until she then asked, “I suppose we’d be headed for the gravehill now?” 

And she instantly cursed herself for doing so, because he immediately broke whatever eye contact they had to reply, "Uh, yes. Yes, we'd best be heading for the gravehill now." He went ahead, leading the other two as they headed for the gravesite.

And all the while, the first human couldn’t help but wonder why his gift hadn’t worked, while the other wished he wasn’t so charming since that would it make things easier for her to keep her guard up. As for the sasquatch, well… he was trying to find a way to make sense of things, of the strange relationship between his two human friends.

* * *

“Hey, are we there yet?”

“Not yet, Susan, just a few more miles.”

“Okay.”

… 

“Are we there yet now?”

“No, not yet.”

“Hmph.”

…

“Are we there–”

“Just few more miles, Susan. Be patient. When we get there, you will know.”

“ _Fineeee,_ okay…”

…

“Can I ask now or will I get yelled at if I do?” 

“Susan, we would never yell at you.”

“Besides, we’re here!”

“Oh, yay!”

And indeed, they were at the gravehill. The surroundings looked unsurprisingly bleak with the grey skies, the brown-tinted grass and plants and of course, all the graves lined up at the bottom to the very top of the hill, complete with a misty fog. The gloomy atmosphere of the gravehill made Susan immediately retract his initial joy of finally getting there, shivers running down his spine. “ _Yeesh_ , these wise women sure know how to pick ‘em,” he murmured sarcastically.

“They are ghosts,” Adelina pointed out. “And wherever the dead rest, some spirits will be sure to linger.”

“Right that is, my fair lady,” Lionel agreed. He held back a smirk when he swore he could see the top of her ears flush slightly, but he had to shift his focus back to the main focus. His eyes squinted, and he could faintly make out the sight of a woman in the fog at the top of the gravehill. “Look!” With his cane, he pointed ahead, showing the two the sight. “At the top of the hill, there be a wise woman.”

“So why the dallying then?” asked Adelina, a teasing smile on her face. She quickly raced ahead, then looked back and gestured for her friends to follow. “Come on!” 

Susan and Lionel followed behind, and up the hill the trio went. They stopped at the end of the fog, watching as two more Wittewijven appeared. 

Adelina brought out her bag of rice. “Lionel, Susan?” she asked, looking at them with an expression that read _you are forgetting something_.

“Oh, yeah, right.” Susan quickly caught on and brought out his own bag of grain, then looked at Lionel and found that he was still staring at the ghosts. “Um, Lionel?”

“Incredible,” murmured the cryptozoologist, eyes glued to the spirits.

Adelina rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers at him, yelling his full name out, “Sir Lionel Phineas Frost!”

Hearing his full name being called, especially by  _her_ no less, snapped him out of it. "Oh! Uh, oh right, my offerings..." He fumbled around, bringing out his bag of the grainy goods while smiling nervously.

"Phineas?" Susan repeated his friend's middle name. "So you have more than two names?" 

“Um, yes, but that is not important right now,” replied Lionel, who focused his eyes on one of the ghosts before him. He took a breather, then began a speech, “Oh wise women, we come here with offerings, hoping to seek your guidance.” _And a picture or two,_ the cryptozoologist added quietly, not saying it aloud as he recalled the Loch Ness monster situation three years ago. 

The three spirits glanced at each other, then at the three living beings before them. “You may present your offerings first,” said the first ghost. “Then, you may ask your questions.”

The two humans and bigfoot nodded at this. Each of them set their bags of rice down before their respective ghost, who took the bags of rice, opened them and took a single grain out. The ghosts absorbed the grain, while the trio watched in curiosity, surprise and awe… then, the ghosts faced each of them. 

“Tell me, wandering explorer, what is it that you seek?” the first ghost asked Lionel.

“I… I wish to seek your guidance on…” he began, but the words wouldn’t leave just yet as he remembered something. He remembered the bouquet of flowers he had given to Adelina and how she had responded so casually as if she didn’t realize what he was doing, as if she couldn’t see that he was trying to court her. Thinking about this made the next words exit easily, “I wish to seek your guidance on courtship.”

“Courtship?” the ghost asked, intrigued. 

“Yes. You see, I have this friend,” Lionel went on to explain. “She and I, well… we had a past together, but I made a mistake which led her to end it between us and choose another, and I continued to make terrible mistakes after that until she set her foot down and showed me the weight of my actions. She showed me reality and made me see that I could not claim to be a great man unless I worked hard to prove it.” There was a weight of emotion in his tone, matching with the brief pained expression in his face as he mentioned their past. “So I did exactly that – I worked hard to prove that I was a great man, and I changed my ways… but that was not enough to prove that I was great enough for her. It has been years, and we are friends but – but I want _more,_ yet when I tried to give her flowers earlier, she did not even react much.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Adelina speaking with the second ghost and he couldn’t help but sigh. “And… and I just want to know what it is that I am doing wrong, and what I can do to gain back her affections.” 

“Hmm.” The ghost seemed to ponder this for a moment, then asked, “So you love this woman?” 

“Yes, very much so.”

“Then if you love her, you’ll continue trying with this courtship and wait until she finally returns your affections.” Seeing the raised eyebrow he gave her, the spirit went on, “Love is patient, love takes time – you cannot expect a simple bouquet of flowers to be enough for her to open her heart up to you again. It might take weeks, months or even a year, but if you keep trying, I can assure you that this woman who you love will soon let you into her heart. Love, like many other things, is a trial after all and with trials come tribulations.”

Lionel took in all of the ghost’s words into consideration. She was right. It would take a while before Adelina would truly reciprocate his feelings, so in the meantime he would have to keep attempting to court her and wait, and a woman like Adelina was worth all the tries and all the wait in the world. “Thank you, admirable wise woman,” he said to the ghost, nodding his head. “You are right. I shall keep your advice in mind for future endeavors.”

“Good luck,” said the ghost, bowing her head at him. 

He was about to turn away when he remembered something. “Oh! And one more thing: could I… take a picture or two?” 

“A picture?”

“I am a cryptozoologist and an important aspect of my job is having at least a _bit_ of evidence. Hairs, nail clippings, footprints, pictures – any form of evidence is useful.” 

“...very well then. You may take a picture.” 

Lionel smiled, then brought out his camera.

—

“Young lady, what is it that you seek guidance for?”

Adelina had to think for a moment before she could answer the ghost’s question. She couldn’t ask for guidance on adventuring, since what happened during adventures happened no matter how hard she’d try to stop any chaos from happening. It was inevitable that crazy things would happen during adventures, but now that Lionel and Susan had her, they’d be less… life-threatening, hopefully. As for her personal life, it was getting better. She was making up for lost time by visiting friends and family, writing letters and generally trying to get outside more since that incident. She was getting there, slowly but surely. 

Her life was fine for the most part, really. She was going on adventures with Lionel and Susan, she was no longer stuck in that self-isolating mourning state and she was allowing herself back into the world, so it would seem that there was nothing she could really seek guidance for, except… 

“I need some guidance on a matter of the heart.” 

“A matter of the heart?” 

Adelina nodded. “Yes. You see, there’s this man – he and I were once lovers, but his inability to be there for me emotionally caused us to drift apart and I, well, chose someone else; his friend.” She winced as she could almost feel the ghost casting some judgement upon her. “When his friend died and he didn’t show up at the funeral, I initially thought of him to be careless and selfish, so I called him out on it… but what he did next surprised me. He – he changed and started to finally put others before himself, and proved he was great, but…” she sighed, her shoulders falling as she looked at the ground. “I don’t know if he’s great enough for _me_ yet. Sure, he’s my friend now, but I don’t know if I could have him as a lover again… my heart has been broken once when I lost the second one I love, so how can I not be scared to let my first love back into it?

“There is a part of me that does still love him, but I need more proof that he is great enough… and even then, I just – I don’t know if I could do that, break down these walls around my heart.” She glanced back up at the spirit before her. “So this is why I ask for your guidance. I need to know what I should do, what choices I should make.”

The ghost seemed to stare at her, taking in all her words before asking: “Young lady, do you want this man?”

Adelina looked almost gobsmacked by the spirit’s question. “I — _what_?” 

“Do you want him?”

“Why — why do you ask me this? I thought I made it clear that…” her words trailed off, and again the spirit stared at her with judgement in her eyes.

“I was only asking a simple question,” the spirit spoke simply. “Do you think there will be a point where you could ever want him without any hesitance?”

“No lo sé. I can’t predict the future, I can’t — I can’t predict when that will happen.” 

“Hmm.” The spirit studied her for a moment, then, “My advice to you, young miss, is to try having an open mind. If a part of you still does love him as you say, then try not to close your heart off so much.” 

“But–”

“That’s not to say you must let your guard down and open up immediately, but… do try to let him in. Slowly, but surely, you will find a solution to your dilemma that way.”

“I – I see,” Adelina said, then bowed her head. “Th-thank you, miss.” 

The ghost bowed her head back. “You are welcome.” 

—

“What is it that you seek, fair… creature?”

“Understanding,” Susan replied, thinking of all the weird things he had seen that day. “My friends are… strange. Our pack has never really been normal with every dynamic being reverse, but lately, it’s getting more strange since one of my friends, Lionel, has decided to court the other, Adelina. See, they had this thing in the past, but it ended years ago… but like, Lionel says he still loves her so he’s trying to do this mating ritual, and he does it so untraditionally and it’s just all super strange.” He made a crazy gesture with his finger for a moment, pointing to Lionel and Adelina afterwards. “They’re just so weird, and I’m trying to get them but it’s hard… so I was wondering if you could help?”

“That’s, uh… quite an issue you have there,” the spirit said slowly, trying to take it all in. “Very, very strange indeed.”

“I know, right? So do you got any advice, or…?”

“Well, my fair furry creature, my advice would be to observe them more,” replied the spirit. “The more you observe their actions and behavior, the more you can make sense of them.”

“Hmmm…” Susan put his hand to his chin, thinking about it. “I guess you’re right… yeah, okay, I’ll try that. Thank you.”

“You’re… welcome, I suppose.”

—

Once the three finished conversing with each ghost, the Witte Wieven disappeared into the foggy mist. 

“Well,” began Lionel, bringing a picture out. “That was a fine success, if I do say so myself. Wouldn’t you agree, my good fellow and lady?” 

“Oh yeah,” agreed Susan. “Those ghosts were really nice and helpful. Better than most ghosts I’ve heard of.”

“Yes, their guidance was very…” Adelina trailed off, thinking of the ghost’s words. “Very helpful, indeed.” 

Lionel looked at Adelina as if she were hiding something. “Really? Is that… all you have to say?” he asked, curious. 

“Sí, eso es todo.”

“Alright then.” Lionel put away the photo he had taken, then looked at his partners. “We should get going now, or else we’ll miss the boat.”

“Yeah, we should get going,” Adelina agreed. 

Susan was about to say something, only to stop when he heard a snorting sound. “Um, guys? Do you… hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“That snorting noise. I can’t be the only one that’s hearing that, can I?”

“Susan, I don’t–” 

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a group of pig women burst out and began advancing towards the trio – well, actually, more so advanced towards Susan and Lionel. “Love us…” droned the female swine, much to the disgust of the human man and sasquatch and the anger of the human woman.

“I thought you said there would be no pig women,” Susan said accusingly towards Lionel.

“Yes, well, I thought most pig women were from Dublin or Holland,” Lionel tried defending himself. “I didn’t think they’d come all the way to Amsterdam!”

“Well, these ones did!”

“Lionel, Susan!” yelled Adelina, causing the men to turn to her. “Look, at the count of three, I want you two to run while I take care of this…” her teeth gritted as she looked at the pig women. “ _Harlots._ ”

“But Adelina–” Lionel was going to protest, but she cut him off.

“Trust me on this, okay?” 

“...fine, I trust you.”

“Okay, now… one…”

Lionel and Susan slowly began to back away from the pig women, while Adelina advanced forward.

“Two…” 

The pig women kept trying to advanced towards the two horrified men. “Come on, boys,” cooed one of them. “Show us some love.”

“... _THREE_!”

Lionel and Susan made a break for it while Adelina charged at the pig women, and a catfight soon broke out. The two would’ve ran to the docks and waited for Adelina there, but once glance back at the fight between the woman and swine made them decide to hide behind some bushes and watch.

Well, it was more of Lionel’s choice, really, as he was swooning while watching Adelina punch one of the pig women in the face. Susan, on the other hand, kept wincing at how painful it must have been for the woman’s knuckles. 

By the time Adelina was finished with the pig women, the swine were running off with their tails between their legs. “ _AND STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS_!” she shouted. Then, she turned and saw the two running toward her.

“Adelina Fortnight, you are a _wonder_ ,” Lionel told her, sincerity apparent in his voice. 

Adelina squirmed, pleased yet trying her best not to show it. “I should hope I am,” she said briskly. “Now, come on. You said it yourself – we can’t miss that boat.”

“Right, right.” 

And the trio all set off for the docks, walking down the grey path.

“Hey guys,” Susan began. “We should do this again sometime. Maybe next week?”

Lionel looked at Adelina, then at Susan and shrugged. “Sounds good. Where do you want to go?”

“Hmm… well, I like the idea of sailing,” Adelina suggested. 

“Oh I love sailing!” Susan chirped.

“Well then, how about the Mediterranean Sea?” suggested Lionel.

“Perfect!”

“Excellent.”

The cryptozoologist nodded. “The Mediterranean Sea next week, it is then. Let’s just hope we won't get chased down by any… cryptids with certain, ah, feminine attributes there.”

“Sure hope not. Wouldn’t want to have to be your lady in shining armor and pants again,” Adelina joked.

The three of them all laughed at this, though soon Lionel found himself bringing an arm around not just Susan, but also Adelina. The woman seemed to freeze under his touch, but soon allowed him to put an arm around her. For a moment, she grabbed his hand, curling her fingers around his. He squeezed her hand gently, taking in her warmth. 

Oh, how they both missed that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for the completely random ending and also for the fact that this may not be as romantic as i wished it could've been, but nevertheless i hope you all got some enjoyment out of this chapter. stay tuned for the next one! bye~


	6. it's far beyond the stars, it's near beyond the moon (i know beyond a doubt my heart will lead me there soon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I know beyond a doubt, ah,_  
>  _My heart will lead me there soon_  
>  _We'll meet (I know we'll meet) beyond the shore_  
>  _We'll kiss just as before_  
>  _Happy we'll be beyond the sea_  
>  _And never again I'll go sailing_  
>  – Bobby Darin in "By the sea."
> 
> In which our trio sets for see, and a bit of chaos happens involving our two lovebirds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I'm pretty surprised with how quick this one came out, since it usually takes at least a month for me to update so this was a nice surprise. It also helps that this was probably one of my favorite chapters to write.  
> Also, notice the T rating? It becomes relevant here, not in an extreme way but y'know, things happen. No one dies though, I promise.

Indeed, just as Lionel had said, the trio all came together a week later on the afternoon of February 18th to set sail for the Mediterranean Sea. Like before, they all met up at the docks and talked to pass the time before a small little boat reserved for three came. When the boat did come, they all boarded it while continuing their conversations.

“So then, this skeptical villager tells me, ‘You know La Llorona is just a myth, right?’” Adelina mimicked the skeptic’s tone as she was telling a story of her trip to Guatemala and an encounter with a certain ghost. “‘It’s just something parents here made up to scare children into coming home early.’ So I asked him, ‘If it’s a myth, then why do these children keep disappearing?’ And he went silent.”

Lionel sniggered. “Skeptics, they act like they know everything yet immediately shut down when presented with a question they cannot provide a rebuttal to.”

“Indeed,” Adelina agreed. “And this one was no different, acting like I was loca and off my medication, but the moment I provided a good argument, he was all quiet.” She shook her head. “Idiota tried to school me, yet couldn’t handle being schooled.”

“That is how these types of folks tend to be, unfortunately,” Lionel said, a touch of bitterness in his voice. He knew the experience all too well. For most of his life, he had been subjected to mockery for his interest in cryptids, all because it did not suit with the majority's beliefs and interest. “They do not like it when their ideals are challenged. They hate being proven wrong… take the optimates club as an example. Dunceby and all of his bootlickers were so enraged at the prospect of evolution being true, that there were sasquatch, so much so that he sent a bounty hunter after us. When that failed and _he_ was the one to shovel off the mortal coil, his bootlickers tried taking Susan and I to court for his supposed ‘murder’ because according to their story, I supposedly attacked him in rage because I was the one in the wrong for believing in evolution.”

“Wait, those putos tried taking you and Susan to court, accusing you of _murder_?” asked Adelina, completely befuddled by the mere thought. “All because the old bastardo couldn’t handle being proven wrong to the point where he dug his own grave?”

The cryptozoologist nodded. “Yes, they did. They even tried to convince the jury we deserved a death sentence — being pushed off the highest cliff into the ocean, if I recall.” 

“Was it that?” asked Susan, joining in. “I don’t remember much, but I thought they said something about a public ‘drawing and quartering.’” He shrugged. “Then again, I kinda blocked most of the memory out because of how scary it all was… I really thought they were gonna lock us up and unlike back in the mountains where we were able to escape, we were actually gonna die at that time.” 

“No, I distinctly remember that they were trying to have us thrown off a cliff,” Lionel corrected Susan. “Though you are right on how terrifying it was… thank lord the judge and jury just so happened to have an unfavorable view of Dunceby, or else we would’ve been done for.”

“Yeah,” agreed Susan, giving a nod. “I’d only just gotten a family and really started living — I didn’t wanna die so soon! I was too young, too — okay, maybe not young ‘cause most of my kind, though I don’t know about them much, lived for over a hundred years, apparently.”

“Wow,” said Adelina, still put back by the whole trial thing. “That — that sounds _loco._ ” She frowned, looking at Lionel. “I didn’t read any of _that_ in the letters you sent me when you were talking about life…”

“I did not want to worry you,” he said simply, his tone calm yet accompanied by a feeling that wasn’t exactly happy but not entirely sad either. “Especially not since you were off in your own little bubble, so happy and free… and besides, it had happened after the Atlantis adventure, before you even started writing to me so it was old news by then.”

"Still, I can't believe they tried to have you locked up, or worse: killed!" Adelina fussed, feeling bad that they had to deal with false accusations and a trial while she was off in Venezuela, having fun without them.

"Oh Adelina, dear sweet thing," Lionel tsked with a smile, shaking his head. There were many sides to her and this one, where she fussed and worried over the ones she cared about, was one of the particular sides he loved. It touched him to see she cared about them, especially him in particular, even gave him a little hope that she did have some soft spot for him in her heart. "Do not worry about it. It all has been taken care of long ago. The jury and judge found us innocent, the optimates had to pay for the libel and we are here now with you."

"Yeah, don't worry, Adelina," Susan tried to help assure her. "Those jerks lost the case and we're all here together now, so lighten up! We're on an adventure after all, and you can't be sad on an adventure!" 

"True," murmured Adelina, a small smile on her face now. Then, a curious look was in her eyes. "So, which cryptid will we be looking for this time?" she asked Lionel.

“Ah, I’m glad you asked that, my dear,” said Lionel, grinning widely. “The creature we will be looking for today is…” He dug into his pockets, pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it, declaring: “The siren!”

“The _siren_?” asked Adelina, eyes widening. 

“Siren?” Susan tilted his head, studying the sketch of the sea creature more. “Looks more like a mermaid to me.”

“While they may look similar to mermaids, they are vastly different from them, my good hairy friend,” Lionel corrected Susan. 

“Pfft! I doubt that,” Susan snickered. “With how similar and friendly they look, how different could they be?”

“Well, for starters: they are an aquatic equivalent to the succubus,” Lionel explained. “While they do not, ah, engage in intimate activities with sailor men, they _do_ lure them in with their music. It has been said countless times that once the sailor men were swayed by their enchanting music and singing voices, they would pull them down into the depths of the sea and drown them, then suck off their essence.” 

Susan’s smile dropped and the sasquatch looked absolutely mortified. “Oh… okay, so definitely not a mermaid then. Alright, um, guess I’ll never read The Little Mermaid in the same way ever again!” he nervously chuckled. “Wow, maybe the prince wasn’t a complete jerk after all. Dude dodged a bullet.”

"Lionel," started Adelina, grabbing his arm. " _Por favor_ , tell me that this is a joke. Tell me you aren't being serious about looking for sirens."

He would have moved his arm out of her grasp if he didn't love the feeling of her touch so much, so instead, he gave a roll of his eyes. "This is not a joke," he replied. "I am being serious when I say that the cryptid we are after today is a siren, or sirens if we are lucky enough."

" _Lucky enough_?" Adelina repeated his words, her voice filled with a mixture of worry, annoyance and a tiny bit of anger. "You say that as if we are looking for unicorns or kirin when in reality, you're talking about finding a siren — a creature that seduces men and then  _drowns them_!"

"I know! Exciting, isn't it?" Lionel asked enthusiastically, in a peppy tone that usually would've made her smile had it not been for what he'd said minutes ago. 

Adelina groaned. She loved her friend but dios, he was so oblivious and dumb sometimes that it  _hurt,_ especially when it came to looking for dangerous cryptids. " _Lionel_!" she hissed. "Have you gone  _loco en la cabeza?_ These creatures could  _kill_ you and here you are, acting all excited about it! _Why_?" 

"Um, because there have been no men who have managed to take an actual photograph along with evidence of sirens," answered Lionel as if it were the most obvious thing ever. "So on this day, I will be the first to get photographic  _and_ physical proof of the siren!"

“Ach!” Adelina grunted, with a roll of her eyes. “Lionel Phineas Frost, do you even hear yourself? Sirens aren’t like any other cryptid. One wrong move and you’re stuck at the bottom of the ocean, slowly losing all oxygen, yet you’re acting like this is going to be a walk through the park.” Her tone was now filled with this stern concern. “This mission, this idea of yours is dangerous. You could _die._ ”

“Nonsense,” Lionel refuted. Sensing her concern, he grabbed her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. “Three years ago, I went out to get evidence of the Loch Ness Monster’s existence and what ensued was complete chaos, what, with the thing swallowing up Mr. Lemuel Lint and then me wrestling with said monster, but we _lived._ With my skills, I was able to get it to spit him out _and_ take a picture…” He frowned, remembering how the beast whacked their boat to land and destroyed his old camera. “And while the evidence unfortunately was destroyed with a tail whack, I still had it for a brief moment without anyone dying in the process.”

“Okay, but that was _one_ time,” Adelina tried to argue. “You got lucky _once._ How can you be so sure you’ll be just as lucky this time?” 

“Well, if any of the past adventures have proved anything, it is that I cannot be killed easily by a mere cryptid,” Lionel said confidently.

“ _Ach!_ You’re so — so _reckless_ and, and _gah_!” she groaned again, pulling at her side hair strands. He was so... _unbelievable._ A complete _tonto_. 

“Now,” Lionel said as he went over to Susan. “Do you have my telescope and violin?” 

“Yeah, but I left them in the suitcase in our quarters,” Susan replied. Lionel groaned and he quickly defended himself, “I thought you were only gonna use the telescope for stargazing and you didn’t say anything about that or music when we were going back up to the deck so I left the telescope and violin there!” 

Lionel sighed. “That’s — fine. It’s fine. I will just get it myself.” He walked past his friend and let out another sigh as he heard him cry out “sorry!” But before he could go to get his things, he felt something grab his hand. He turned and saw Adelina, a stern look on her face.

“Sir Lionel Phineas Frost,” she started in a low tone. “I know you’re an expert in cryptid investigations and have gotten out of many cases without even a scratch, but this case is just too risky. What if you get hurt? What if — what if you…?” her voice trailed off, growing silent as she didn’t have to say it. “Do you know how Susan would react, how he would _feel_ if a siren snatched you up?” _How_ I _would feel?_ she would’ve said, if she was reckless enough to allow that side of her — those _feelings_ — to show.

“Adelina,” he said, gently grabbing her hand. “I understand you are worried, but I can assure you that I will be fine. I know what I am doing. If I could survive Shangri-La, then I can survive this.” He smirked when he saw her smile slightly, seeing that she was easing up a little. “Besides, I’ve read up on sirens and found that their ‘enchanting music’ only affects men who are easily fooled — you know, the gullible virgin type, all of which I am not.” 

Adelina tried to find a reason to object, but found that there was nothing she could do to persuade him to abort this little mission of his, so she sighed. He had his points, though they didn’t completely ease her worry, but she knew he wasn’t going to be swayed otherwise. Once his mind was set on a matter involving cryptids, there would be no backing out — she had learned that long ago when they had been together, and it still applied now to this day.

“Fine,” she relented. “Just… be careful, okay?” 

He smiled. “Of course. Do not fret, my dear. In just a moment, I will have not only a photo, but the scale of a siren!” As soon as he had said that, he quickly went to fetch his camera and violin.

Adelina watched as he left, and she sighed again. “Ay, Lionel,” she murmured. “You _idiota_ …”  Sometimes, he could be such a fool, but she still lo— _cared_ about him and supported his endeavors because he was her friend and that was what friends did.

Even if his said endeavors were life-risking and crazier than an escapee from an asylum.

* * *

“Is the camera to hand, Susan?” Lionel asked as he got near the right end of the boat, with a violin in hand. 

The sasquatch nodded and pulled out the camera. “Yep, I’ve got it right here!” 

“Good.” Lionel positioned the violin underneath his chin, then practiced bowing, humming _mi, la mi-mi-mi-mi, mi-mi_ in the process to test his vocal chords. “Very good, yes,” he said, pleased with his singing. “Okay, here we go.”

This surprised Adelina as she had never really heard him sing before. Then again, during the time they had been dating, he  _had_ mentioned how his mother was a music teacher so perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise to her, but it was. It was a big surprise. 

“Wait,” she said softly, making him turn to her. 

He tilted his head and his brow crinkled just a tad bit. “What? What is it, Adelina?”

“I… I didn’t know that you…”

“That I _what_?”

“That you could sing.”

He smirked at her and for some reason, this weird yet nice feeling rushed through her gut as he did. “Well, if you think _that_ is singing then you haven’t heard anything yet.” Once that was said, he began full on bowing and sung a fine tune.

_Somewhere beyond the sea,_

_Somewhere waiting for me_

_My lover stands on golden sands,_

_And watches the ships that go sailing_

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Adelina and Susan watching with awe, finding himself hesitating while singing as the woman looked at him. Adelina, on the other hand, couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He played so wonderfully, and his voice was so strong yet gentle and charming. She couldn’t believe she had never heard him sing before until now. He was so good.

And Susan… well, all he could think of was how darn good of a singer Lionel was. Of course, he had heard of the Loch Ness incident and met Lionel’s mother, so he knew that the cryptozoologist did have some musical talent in him. Heck, there were some nights where he could hear Lionel singing in his room, though his voice was usually shaky as he sung a soft, slow song — a lullaby of sorts, he believed. The sasquatch could recall the lyrics and the shaky voice that sung them on those dark nights.

_(Little one, when you play_

_Don’t you mind what they say_

_Let those eyes sparkle and shine_

_Never a tear, son of mine…)_

So yes, Susan knew Lionel could sing, but he never heard him sing like _this_ before, so boldly without much doubt, without sounding like he was trying to keep steady but failing. Here, he was steady, strong and passionate. 

Then it hit Susan once he saw how Lionel’s eyes made a quick glimpse at Adelina, and the particular lyrics he sung. A lover standing on golden sands, watching the ships that go sailing… it clicked instantly. The love bit wasn’t randomly added to suit a hungry siren — no, it was an omega trying to make a sweet reference to the alpha he loved, trying to impress her and express his love through song. Of course. How could he not have caught on?

_Somewhere, beyond the sea_

_She’s there watching for me_

_If I could fly like birds on high,_

_Then straight to her arms_

_I’d go sailing_

Lionel continued singing and bowing, until he heard the sounds of crooning coming from beyond the deck. In fact, it sounded like the noise was coming from below the boat. He looked over and saw a something peeking out of the water. It wasn't just an ordinary sea dweller though, but a  _siren_. 

So music  _did_ soothe the beast after all, so much so that the beasts were singing a fine tune. Of course, Lionel knew that they were trying to lure him in by means of musical seduction, but he wasn’t falling for it easily. His heart already belonged to another woman who he wouldn’t stop loving, not even for hungry sirens.

He shot a glance at Susan. “Mr. Link, get ready to take a picture.”

“Um, are you sure?” asked the bigfoot, a little uneasy. He pointed with his free hand at the sirens. “Those sirens, they, uh… they’re kinda creepy.” 

“Don’t tell me you’re scared of some sirens now,” Lionel chuckled. “Now come, to the left, Susan.” 

“Okay,” the sasquatch sighed, going to the left while his friend went on trying to get closer to the cryptids. He felt awkward, watching the sirens look at the man with such — what was the word again? Lust? Yeah, that was it: lust. They looked at him with this lust, like a hungry fox looking at a rabbit... like he was fresh meat and not just a normal man. It was kind of interesting though, seeing the way these sirens looked at him compared to the way Lionel would look at Adelina. The sirens looked at him like he was nothing but a quick meal, while Lionel looked at Adelina like she was this wonder, like she was this angel.

_His angel._

“Oh handsome sailor, what brings you out at sea this night?” asked one of the sirens, while her friends giggled. 

“Perhaps,” one of her friends spoke, “he is looking for some fun.” 

Adelina’s eye twitched at seeing and hearing these sirens, these _mozas_ and _putas_ , flirt with Lionel. The way they looked at him, the way they talked to him — it made her blood boil deeper, hotter than lava inside a volcano.

She wasn’t jealous — why would she be jealous when it had been over between them for six years? Sure, there was that nagging part of her that couldn’t move on, that still clung to those feelings, but… she wasn’t jealous of those sirens. They were the aquatic succubi, the sea-dwelling _zorras_ , so there was no way she was envying _them._ No, all her rage stemmed from how they were acting like he was this huge banquet. She knew exactly what they were thinking — that they were going to get a fine dinner, that they were going to sink their teeth into her dear friend. _Well,_ she thought. _News for you: that isn’t going to happen… I hope._ So no, her anger wasn’t due to jealousy. She wasn’t petty, not like him.

(At least, she liked to think that she wasn’t. Deep down though, there was this part of her that admitted that _yes,_ she was kind of jealous. 

Thank heaven that Lionel still seemed to love her, or else —  _qué carajo, Adelina,_ her more rational side quickly interrupted that thought.  _Stop this. You are_ not  _falling in love with him right now. What happened to "deserving greater"?_ Anyway, the point was — the point _was_ that she was thankful Lionel wasn't so easily swayed by the sirens' flirting, or lord knows what she'd do.)

Lionel could only laugh awkwardly at the sirens’ suggestive approaches and shake his head. “Uh no, I am actually here to take a picture and maybe a—”

“A piece of us?” another siren interrupted, batting her eyelashes.

More giggles came from the sirens. “I’d love a quick little romp,” said yet another one of them.

“Oh yes, it’s been a couple nights since a fine sailor came to visit…”

“ _And_ give us some fun…” 

Lionel grit his teeth with every word that came out of the sirens’ mouths. He couldn’t stand the way they tried flirting with him, their attempts of seduction. Not only did it disgust him, but it irritated him since — well, of course they didn’t know, but his heart would never be claimed by another. There was one woman he loved, _one_ , and these sirens were _not_ her and they would _never_ be her — they could never get as close to his heart as _she_ was.

“No, no,” he refused. “I’m not here for _that._ I am here for—”

"Oh come on," a siren interrupted him yet again. "Surely we can have at least a _piece_ of a snack like you?" 

"Please, all we want is just a single bite!"

"Just a taste!"

With each word that came out of the sirens' mouths, more irritation built up inside Lionel until he eventually yelled: " _No!_ All I came here for was a piece of evidence to add to my collection, documenting more cryptids. I did  _not_ come here to be hit on by a bunch of — pardon my french — common  _harlots_ from the Mediterranean Sea!" Hearing them gasp, he did regret a bit of his words, but still: he needed to get his point across, so he kept a stern look. "Now, if you would be so kind as to just hold still and allow my friend over there to take a picture, then that would be great." 

The sirens were silent but fuming, gritting their teeth upon his rejection. He shrugged it off though, turning to Susan. "Now, what do we say?"

"Um, Lionel," said Susan, pointing to the sirens. "I don't think right now is the time to take pictures."

"No, Susan, that's not what you say."

"Lionel," Adelina spoke up, noticing the sirens were hissing now. "We should turn the boat around."

"No, Adelina, that's not what you say either."

" _Lionel_!" cried the two, exasperated.

"What else do we say? Perhaps a 'cheese'?"

Susan frowned, but held up the camera and quickly took a picture just to get it over with. " _Cheese!_  There, now can we turn the boat around now, please?"

Lionel shrugged. "Close enough." He was about to head over when suddenly, he was grabbed by his legs. He looked down and saw just who exactly had grabbed his legs: the sirens. "What in the—?"

"How  _dare_ you reject us?" hissed the sirens' leader. "Just for that, we will feast on you tonight!"

Before Lionel could say anything, the sirens all dragged him off the boat and into the waters quicker than a woodpecker could peck, much to the horror of his friends. 

"Lionel,  _NO_!" they both cried out in fear. 

Susan immediately began panicking, biting his fingers in fear. "Oh no, oh no, oh no... what are we going to do?" he asked worriedly. "We have to do  _something_!"

Adelina looked down at the water, where the sirens had dived down. There was a mixture of fear, anger and another feeling inside her — fear for Lionel's well-being and safety, anger at the sirens for snatching her friend away and trying to drown him and as for the third, well, she didn't know exactly what it was. All she knew about the third feeling was that it had to do with Lionel and making absolutely  _certain_ he would make it out of this situation alive and unscathed, no matter what and that he'd be safe and sound with her and Susan.

There was this hunch she had about the third feeling, that maybe it went a little deeper than that, but that wasn't important right now. Right now, the main focus was Lionel.

So, she said boldly, "I'm going in after him." 

Susan looked at her. "What?" he asked, then shook his head. "No, you can't! You'll get—" 

"I  _have_ to save Lionel," Adelina interrupted him, eyes focused on the sea, filled with this determination. "If I don't, he'll..." she trailed off, quickly giving a shake of her head. She couldn't think like that, not now — not when her friend was in danger. "I need go to in there, Susan. I will be fine, just — I  _need_ to do this."

Susan tried to protest, but saw the determination in her eyes. The fierce amount of care she held for their friend that he saw was enough to make the bigfoot relent and say, "Okay, but don't die."

She smiled at him. "I won't." Then, she dove head first into the ocean. 

* * *

Down in the depths below, Lionel was struggling to wrangle himself out of the clutches of the water succubi. He was flailing and thrashing about, doing about anything to escape, even so far as going to try kicking nearby rocks and crabs at them. Of course, with each attempt at escape he made, the more angry the sirens grew and the more angry they grew, the more scratches he'd get and  _god_ were their claws sharp! So sharp, he swore that from his wounds, he could smell blood.

But he tried not to pay attention to the pain whenever the sirens sunk their claws into the flesh on his arms and legs, for he had to escape. He couldn't die, not like this, not in a watery grave like all those sailors. He couldn't die like those men on that ship on that one dark night, like his po —

He rammed his head into one of the sirens’ torsos, causing her to shriek out and bump into yet another, loosening their grip on his arms. Quickly, he made a move to get his legs free... until he felt something rough and hard bash his head, causing his vision to go blurry. As his vision grew hazy, he saw the sirens gather around him for a brief moment, until one of them suddenly screeched. Then, he swore he could see Adelina swimming down towards them and —

She socked one of the sirens right in the face. 

The puta shrieked in pain and struck her across the face with its claws, creating three scratches. She hissed in pain for a second, but didn’t back down as she once again rammed her fist into the siren’s side. 

The rest of the sirens soon tried getting turns on tearing her apart, but they underestimated her. Adelina Fortnight would _not_ go down, with or without a fight. She was a spitfire and a fighter, through and through. She wouldn’t be easily beaten by these little fish. They could claw, scratch and shriek all they wanted, but she wouldn't go down.

And they did. They clawed at her face, arms and legs, drawing scratches everywhere. It hurt, yes, but it didn't stop her from fighting back. She punched and kicked them back every single time, throwing harder hits after hits until the whole group eventually gave up.

By the time they were gone, her face was covered in bruises and scratches, her pants and shirt torn and nose bleeding. She could feel the fresh pain all over those areas, but ignored it as she looked at Lionel. Her eyes widened a little as she saw that he was seemingly unconscious.  _Oh no, Lionel!_

Despite the fact he was more than two inches taller than her, she scooped him up into her arms and quickly swam back up to the surface. As soon as she emerged from the water, she gasped for air while cradling Lionel in her arms. 

“Adelina?” she heard Susan say, and she looked over to see her sasquatch friend standing in the middle of the boat. “Oh, Adelina! Thank god you’re ok– _oh my god, what happened?!_ You both look like a mess!” 

“The sirens happened,” Adelina panted out. She swam over to the boat and placed Lionel down on it with some help from Susan, before getting onto it herself. She knelt down beside Lionel and placed his head in her lap, cradling it close. There were scratches on his arms and legs and on his head was a bruise, possibly from being bashed with a stone… it was a wonder he wasn’t bleeding too hard. Instinctively, she caressed his face. She had done it many a time back when they were dating, so even now it felt a little normal to do… despite not being together as a couple, but as friends. 

“Is — is he dead?” asked Susan, voice and eyes filled with distress. 

Adelina placed a hand over where Lionel’s pulse was, letting out a sigh of relief when she felt a heartbeat. “No, he’s still alive, just… unconscious.”

Susan, too, sighed in relief. “Thank goodness… so we can just wake him up now?” 

“Yes, we should try waking him up or else…”

The thing was, unbeknownst to them, Lionel wasn’t really unconscious. He was awake and had been to hear the whole fight between the sirens and Adelina, it was just that his eyes grew tired and his vision had gone bad, but he _was_ awake to hear it and this conversation between his two companions. In fact, he was conscious enough to hear Susan suggest… 

“Maybe you should give him the kiss of life.”

At this, Lionel’s heart began to beat quickly. Had he heard that right? Had he really heard his friend suggest that his love should _kiss_ him? It felt like he was dreaming or that he was in heaven. He couldn’t believe it, nor could he help but get a little excited. 

“Wha — what?” Adelina stuttered, her face flushed a deep chestnut. Did her friend really just suggest that she should _kiss_ her ex?

She couldn’t believe her ears, nor could she believe the way her heart began to beat and her face began to heat up, especially when she looked down at him and —

 _No_ , she scolded herself. _Stop it. Stop acting like this. Now is not the time, and you are_ not _going to snog him, got it? Besides, if you_ do  _kiss him_   _then he'll never let you heard the end of it._ So she shook her head and said, “Let’s not do mouth to mouth.”

Lionel became a little sad at this. Of course it was partially his fault for getting his hopes up so soon but still, he had to wonder why she didn’t want to do mouth to mouth resuscitation. 

“Then what should we do then?” Susan asked, crossing his arms.

“Um…” Adelina tried to think of a way to resuscitate her friend that didn’t include her kissing him, and eventually found one: the old stomach pumping maneuver. “Oh, we could pump his stomach. It's more efficient.” 

“Oh _right_ , that’s a method people use,” Susan recalled and then shrugged. “Huh, okay then, whatever works.”

And Lionel's eyes snapped wide open as he was grabbed by the sasquatch who proceeded to pump his stomach out, while Adelina stood off to the side. She watched and winced, feeling a little bad yet she knew she couldn’t have kissed him, not now. She didn’t really know if she could ever do that again, really… so she kept to the side until Susan was done pumping out Lionel’s stomach, leaving the man to cough up leftover water and some seaweeds, to which she patted his back.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked. 

Lionel coughed and gagged out some more water, then breathed in and out. “Yes,” he said between breaths. “I am — I am fine, yes.” He tried clearing his throat as he looked at her. “Thank you for, uh, saving my life back there.”

Adelina smiled. “You’re welcome,” she replied. “But next time, try not to make it a habit of being captured, okay? I’m no princesa in shining armor, you know.”

Lionel laughed a bit. “My apologies. I will try not to in the future.” Then, he looked over at Susan. “Mr. Link, is the camera still—?”

“It’s still in tact, yes,” Susan cut him off, pulling it out. “And so is the photo.”

The cryptozoologist sighed in relief. “Oh, good… I was afraid of having a repeat of the Nessie incident.”

“Also,” Susan went on, pointing ahead to what appeared to be a distant island. “If the map isn’t mistaken, then we seem to be headed towards Greece now.” 

Both Lionel and Adelina looked ahead to make sure the sasquatch was right and indeed, the ocean’s waves seemed to be pushing the boat towards one of Greece’s islands — Rhodes, from what Lionel could make out.

“So we are,” said Lionel. “Perhaps we could stop there, maybe take a little break?” 

“Sounds good to me!” chirped Susan.

“After what just happened? We definitely need a break,” Adelina remarked, and the man and sasquatch nodded at this.

And so, the trio all sat down and prepared themselves for when they’d reach the land of Rhodes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's all for ch. 6, folks! Hope y'all liked this one, and stay tuned for ch. 7!


	7. i'm breaking down and you're breathing slowly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Say when_  
>  _And my own two hands will comfort you_  
>  _Tonight, tonight_  
>  _Say when_  
>  _And my own two arms will carry you_  
>  _Tonight, tonight_  
>  – The Fray in "Say When."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i planned on finishing this chapter sooner but then stuff in life and work happened, but now i'm back so yay. also, happy halloween! hope y'all had a funny spooky night!

It took hours for the trio to reach land, so many that by the time they came to Rhodes island, it had been a night and they were all fast asleep. Luckily, their boat didn't drift off as the waves kept it in the right direction, and it also helped that someone at shore happened to spot them and decided to prepare the land for when the boat came.

Lionel was the first to stir awake, blinking his eyes open tiredly and seeing that the boat was nearing land. Not only that, but someone in the distance helping prepare the docks. He looked behind him and saw his two friends still sleeping, with Susan snoring while Adelina was resting peacefully... like a graceful angel. Even in sleep, she was so beautiful that he wished he could gently run his fingers through her hair and —

Quickly, he shook those thoughts away.  _Not now,_ he scolded himself.  _This isn't the time to ogle over her... not yet, at least_. So he grabbed his cane and poked his friends with it, waking them up.

"Ay, qué carajo—" Adelina started, only to stop when she saw it was Lionel who had waken her up. "Oh, it's just you. Buenos dias, Lionel."

"Good morning to you too, Adelina," Lionel returned, slightly amused yet also a little offended by her foul mouth. 

"Is it morning already?" Susan yawned, stretching his arms and smacking his lips. "Can't I have five more minutes?"

"No," said Lionel. "Because we're about to reach land soon."

"Wait, we are?" 

" _We are_?"

Both Adelina and Susan got up and saw that yes, the docks were right ahead and already prepared for them. "Wow, that was fast," remarked the sasquatch. 

"So what will we do once we get on the island?" Adelina asked Lionel. "Sit down and rest, walk around the beach or...?"

"Well, I would like to explore the town a little," replied Lionel. "Just for the fun of it. A fine little walk around, that's all."

“That sounds nice,” Adelina said with a small smile.

“Yeah, great idea... can we stop for breakfast first though?” Susan asked his friends, gesturing to his stomach. “We didn’t get dinner last night, and I’m starving.” His stomach growled, proving his point. 

Both Lionel and Adelina laughed at this. 

“Alright, we’ll stop for some breakfast first,” Lionel decided. “Last night has left me a little famished after skipping dinner anyway, so some breakfast should do us some good.”

“I am also a little hungry, too,” Adelina agreed. 

So it was decided that once they hit shore, they would go somewhere and find some breakfast… and they did, with the help of the person who prepared the docks: Dorenia. 

Dorenia was an old Romani woman who had been wandering around Greece since she was a young girl, having many stories to tell of not only Rhodes but essentially the entire country itself — stories ranging from myths to wild mishaps and many other things. She knew the land well enough from its islands to its culture to the little things like its cool breeze and its fruits, the latter of which she helped the trio pluck from trees.

“It’s better to pick them fresh,” the Rroma woman said. “That way, the juice is sweeter.” 

“Hmm.” Lionel used his cane to whack a tree, causing a bunch of tangerines to fall. He picked one up and tried it, licking the juices off his lips. “Huh, you’re right. The juice is much more ripe.” 

“Really? Let me try,” Adelina said, going to try whacking a tree herself. Once a pomegranate fell into her palm, she took a bite and found that it was true. “Mmhh… _muy bien_.”

Susan shook a tree and grabbed one of the fallen kiwis off the ground, biting into it and savoring the taste. “ _Mmmmmmhh,_ it’s so good!”

The trio went on to gather up all the fruits they had collected and went to Dorenia’s place, where they cut the fruits into little slices and dined into their breakfast. 

“These are delicious,” said Susan as he dug into his bowl of fruit. “I know fruit usually tastes good but I didn’t expect it to taste _this_ _good_.”

“I’m pleased to hear that you like the fruit,” Dorenia said with a smile, while she was fixing up some tea. “Most visitors tend to bring their own food instead of trying the food  here, unlike you three… but then again, we don’t get much visitors in this country nowadays.”

The two humans were about to take another bite of fruit when they heard this. “You don’t get many visitors?” Adelina repeated.

“How come?” asked Lionel. “The place has such a culture, how could anyone pass up the opportunity to come here?”

"Well, in recent times, there's been a lot of disappearances and deaths happening in Greece," Dorenia explained, a frown appearing on her face. "It started about a month ago, when a group of sailors went missing... only a few days after their disappearance was reported, their bodies were uncovered — found cold and frozen, deader than a doorknob."

Lionel stiffened, his breath hitching right in his throat as he heard those words. A bunch of men at sea gone missing, only to be found dead just days after... he could feel his hand trembling as he tried reaching for another piece of fruit in order to settle the sudden chills rushing through his body.

“Oh, that’s _terrible_!” Adelina said, horrified by the news. 

“Yes, and it only got worse after the sailors’ bodies were found,” Dorenia said grimly. “Soon, dead bodies began to be discovered weeks later, stab wounds in them… stab wounds in the shape of stag horns.” 

“Stag horns? But I used to live in the forest among stags,” Susan protested. “They never were hostile, at least not _that_ much to the point of running through a human with their horns.” 

“It wasn’t from a regular stag though,” Dorenia went on. “See, while outsiders assume it is just a string of gang violence or murders, the people _here_ know better. We know what is the _real_ cause of these deaths: the Peryton.” 

“Peryton?” repeated Adelina and Susan in confusion.

This time, it was Lionel who answered grimly: “A mythological hybrid animal, combining the physical features of a stag and a bird. Legends claim that the Peryton are the ghosts of sailors that have died far from home, and cast humanoid shadows because of this.” His voice trembled upon mentioning the beast and ghosts of dead sailors who died far from home, his mind clouded with memories of a man who looked familiar to him. Thirty-four years, black hair and beard, a long pointed nose, kind faint blue eyes and a black suit with a black bowtie… the appearance of a man he knew so well, who would tell him stories of adventures in far off places with creatures one would not usually see.

Gentle, thick skinned hands patting his shoulder —

A tight hug, one that could only be shared between close family members —

_“I will be back, I promise,” said the man to his twelve year-old son as he hugged him close._

_“When?” the boy asked, his bright baby blue eyes looking up at his father._

_“Soon,” replied the man._

_“And will you bring back anything with you?” the boy pressed, curiosity and excitement in his tone. “Artifacts, pictures, sculptures — stuff like that?”_

_“Of course, my boy!” the man chuckled, patting his back. “I’ll bring back something for me and something for you.”_

_“Fantastic!” the boy cheered, hugging his father tightly._

_The man returned the hug, patting his son’s back again. They stayed like that for a few more minutes, until he pulled away and asked, “Take care of your mother for me in the meantime, won’t you?”_

_The boy nodded. “Of course, Poppa.”_

_“Atta boy,” the man laughed, ruffling his son’s hair, causing the boy to laugh as well. He stood up and went over to his wife, whose dark brown eyes stared forward blankly. Her dress was black and white, her frizzy ebony hair was tied into a bun and her lips painted a purplish grey, pressed firmly still. “Moira?” He tried placing his hand on her shoulder. “Luv?”_

_She turned away from him and walked towards the window. He didn’t follow._

_“The boat is waiting for you. You ought to hurry.”_

_There was this silence. “It can wait.” A pause… “Moira, please, can you look at me?”_

_The boy watched his parents, then walked towards his mother. “Mum?” He wasn’t used to this, to seeing his mother act so… distant, especially towards his father. All his life, he had grown up and seen them act nothing but loving towards one another, so this was more than a little strange to him._

_Hearing both her son and husband’s pleas, the woman bit her lip, crossed her arms and turned towards him. She rolled her eyes and walked towards him, straightening up his bowtie._

_“Are you angry with me?” he asked, his voice soft and unhappy. Those faded blue orbs kept trying to meet her dark brown ones, but they avoided his._

_“No, I’m not angry with you,” she said, sighing. “But I’m not happy with you either.” She fixed his tie, then took one of his hands into hers, finally looking him in the eye. “Is this really something you wish to do, Anthony? To leave us for a trip on the seas for Greece, for some mythological creature whose existence is barely known?” She saw his eyes widen, something flashing in them — something so irregular, it took her a moment to realize what it was._

_He took her hand, kissing the palm very slowly and then gave the same treatment to the other hand. She recognized this well enough _—_ he was stalling for time, and she decided not to push him. _

_Not when they already had little time left together._

_When Anthony looked back at Moira, there was no uncertainty in his look, only determination._

_And it wasn’t only she who caught that._

_"Yes, Moira. I want to try discovering the Peryton. It, like many other cryptids, is something that the world has left as a secret best kept hidden, and that's simply not right."_

_What was half a plunge of knife in Moira's heart was an inspiration to their son, who seemed to perk up._

_“Don’t,” she started, her voice firm yet shaky. “Don’t you_ dare _get yourself hurt out there. Not a scratch, not a wound — nothing, do you hear me, Anthony? You better come back in one piece. I don’t want to wait for days only to have my husband’s body sent back in pieces.”_

_There was a soft, loving look in Anthony’s eyes. He reached out and Moira went into his arms willingly, closed her eyes as he held her and kissed the top of her head._

_“I promise you I will not be dying anytime soon. Not on you, and certainly not on our little Lionel.” He kissed her, gently. Then, he went to their boy and gave him one last hug before he went for the door._

_Moira held her son close as they went to the doorway, watching as he left for the docks, a suitcase in hand._

_“Goodbye, Anthony! We love you!”_

_“Bye, Poppa!”_

_The man turned back to look over his shoulder, smiling at them as they waved and returned the gesture. “Goodbye, you two!”_

_“Take care!” his wife shouted._

_“I will!” he shouted back. “And I’ll be back soon, I promise!”_

_When he was out of sight, Moira closed the door and leaned against it. Lionel watched as his mother’s face scrunched up, looking like she was about to cry._

_“Don’t cry, Mum,” he tried to comfort the older woman. “Poppa’ll be back soon. He promised.”_

_What a foolish, naive boy he had been._

_"Lionel..."_

_"Lionel!"_

"Sir Lionel Frost!"

Hearing his name being called, he shook his head and found himself out of the memory, back in reality.

"Lionel, are you okay?" Adelina asked him, concern in her tone. "You were talking for a moment, but then you just... zoned out."

"Yes, I'm — I'm fine," Lionel stammered, pressing his hand to his head. He took a few breaths in. "I must've been daydreaming about the creature while talking, so much so that I lost it for a moment."

"Are you sure?" she asked him, a mixture of skepticality and concern in her expression. 

"I am certainly fine," he lied, forcing a smile. 

She stared at him for a moment, then said, "Okay." 

Now, it was Susan's turn to look at him skeptically, but for different reasons. "How do these weird, possessed ghost bird-stags' shadows tie into this?" 

“Because it is said that if a Peryton kills a man during its lifetime, it will be able to cast its own shadow,” replied Lionel, trying to keep his voice from shaking as he kept thinking back to the mention of sailors dying at sea. He kept thinking of his father and the last time he saw him before he — he —

He gulped a lump down his throat, his stomach churning and twisting inside and this painful feeling inside him — a feeling that burned his throat and eyes and made him feel so hurt, so lost and confused and lonely, despite having company with him.

Susan’s look changed to one of fear. “Oh… _yikes_.” He looked to Dorenia. “Is there anything we can do to stop this from happening?”

“I don’t know,” Dorenia replied with a sigh. “There’s not a lot that can be done, since the deaths happen at random and no one knows how to stop the beast.” 

“But there has to be a—” Adelina was about to say, when suddenly two young boys burst in.

“Kyría! Kyría Dorenia!” they cried out.

The old woman’s eyes immediately focused on the kids, and she stood up and quickly went over to them. “Boys, what is it? What’s wro—wait, where’s Häns’che?”

“Häns’che?” the trio repeated, looking at the old Rroma woman in confusion. 

“My grandson,” she clarified, then went back to the two kids in front of her. “Why isn’t he with you?”

“We were out playing,” the first kid started, “and, and _that beast_ —”

“It snatched Häns’che up!” the second kid finished. “Grabbed him by the arms with its back legs and flew off!”

“ _What?_ No!” cried the old woman, putting her hands over her mouth, trying to hold back a sob. “Please, tell me that this is a prank!”

The teenagers looked at her grimly, and Dorenia began to cry. The trio watched on, both shocked and sympathetic.

But for Lionel, seeing the old woman cry over her grandson’s kidnapping… it somehow reminded him of his mother and how she had cried when news came right in the next morning that his father wouldn’t be coming back home, at least not alive. 

It struck this core in him, a feeling of understanding arising as he knew this woman wasn’t too different from his mother. She wasn’t too different from the woman who became a widow at thirty-four, all because her husband died far away from home. 

(And she certainly wasn’t completely different from his former lover, who became a widow not even a decade ago… all because his former partner had died in an avalanche, while he never could bring himself to come because of his conflicting feelings and emotions.)

But Dorenia was still different from his mother — from _Adelina_ — in the sense that this was not a husband she was losing, but a grandson and this grandson of hers could still be alive. There was still a chance the Peryton hadn’t killed him yet, and that he could still be saved from a grim fate.

And Lionel was going to make sure the boy was yanked away from death’s cold claws, into the warm embrace of safety.

“Do not fret, miss,” he said, going over the elderly woman and placing a hand on her shoulder. “We will bring Häns’che home.” 

“You — you will?” the old woman stammered, wiping her eyes as she looked at him in surprise. 

“We will?” questioned Susan, who was then nudged by Adelina. “Oof, _h_ _ey_!”

“Yes, I swear to you that we will make sure that your grandson comes back unharmed,” the cryptozoologist vowed. There was this serious look in his eye, but his tone carried not only seriousness but a bit of something somber to it as well.

"Oh efcharistó, sir!" cried the old woman gratefully. " _Efcharistó_!"

"There is no need to thank me," he said, not cockily but... blankly. "I am merely doing what any human would — and _should_  — do, and that is to bring a lost person back home to their family." 

With that, he went over to the door, looking back at his friends and gesturing for them to come. "Come along, you two. We have a missing person to find."

And out the door he went, leaving Adelina confused for a moment at how differently he was acting. She shook her head though, looking to Dorenia and saying, "No se preocupe, señora. We'll find your nieto soon."

"Without any scratches," added Susan. He put his finger to his lips. "Well, okay, maybe a few but nothing too bad, hopefully."

The two then went after their friend, with Adelina wondering just why Lionel sounded so different than usual. She'd have to ask him about it soon.

* * *

"Okay now, let's see: usually, winged mammalian creatures like these would take their prey off to a far off secluded place after they snatch it, which means that the Peryton must've taken Häns'che somewhere where no person would usually go..."

The trio had searched Rhodes far and wide, every inch and corner, but they couldn’t find Häns’che anywhere. All the folks they had questioned said they only heard the sounds of a Peryton’s cry and a boy’s scream in the far distance, but nowhere close enough to a point where the trio could find him (though granted, it was still more helpful information than from some other folks who simply turned their heads at the mere mention of the young Rroma's name, old prejudiced slags). They even went through every spring, pool and inch of the forests and still not a trace was to be found, so they all hitched onto another boat and began hopping island after island as quick as they could before the time ran out. 

Now, determined as ever, Lionel was trying to figure out which island the beast had taken the boy to, figuring it wouldn’t be any of the heavily populated ones. He pinpointed that it had to be one of the most secluded ones, going through the map and pointing to each of the six with his cane. 

“My six suspected locations are Icaria, Karpathos, Ithaca, Anafi, Leros and Chios — the most quiet islands in Greece. These are places that don't have many folks, making it a perfect destination to go to for both visitors and hungry beasts alike.”

“So you think they took ‘lil Häns’che to one of these places?” asked Susan.

“I’m certain,” said Lionel firmly.

Adelina didn’t comment on anything. She just watched Lionel’s movement, his expressions and listened to his words and how he said them, how firm he spoke. He sounded so serious about this, more than usual and while yes, he was serious about situations involving another person getting hurt — especially the most vulnerable type of person or his loved ones, or both when it came to his friends — but in this situation, he acted more serious than ever before… like it struck a core in some way to him. The way he would mention the Peryton, he would either stumble on the word or force it out like bile or throat acid — it was like he had some type of connection with this particular beast, or a bad association with it. What it was, though, would be something she'd have to find out. 

“We’ll go to Chios first,” Lionel continued on. “It is the biggest of the six and tourists only visit one part of it, leaving the rest of it for the beast — the perfect place for it to drag its prey off to.” There was this glint in his eyes for a moment — a mixture of anger and fear, and a very personal one at that. Clearly, there was something deeper going on in him than just a simple human obligation. Adelina knew it, she just did. 

Lionel went to mark the place on the map and told Susan, “Get ready. Time is of the essence, and we cannot afford to dally any longer this time.”

“Right, of course,” the sasquatch said with a nod, following his friend’s words.

The moment Susan stepped away from Lionel, Adelina decided to approach. “Lionel?” 

He turned to her. “Hm, yes, Adelina?” 

“You’ve been acting a little… different, lately,” she started. “You’re being more serious than you usually are with these kinds of cases, and—”

“More serious?” he cut her off, a defensive tone immediately taking hold of his voice. “What are you talking about? I am being as serious as I can and should be, considering the case we are dealing with here.” 

“Yes, but we’ve dealt with cases like this before when it was just the two of us,” Adelina pointed out. “Remember that one time in 1893 when we were in Northern Canada, and those two little Inuit children were playing guides?” He went silent, saying nothing to this as he seemed to be recalling it. This made her go on: “We were walking across the ice when suddenly, it cracked and one of them was pulled down into the water by a Qallupilluit. You pushed their sibling to me and ordered us to run to land quickly, while you went in after to save the child. You were serious then, yes, but not in the way you are now — you were serious by obligation, not as if you had some personal issues with the monster.”

Lionel's eyes narrowed. “That's ridiculous,” he said, in such a firmly stern tone that was so unlike him. “I am as serious as I was then because it has everything to do with it being an obligation out of the decency of my _being_ that I bring the boy back home to his grandmother! It has _nothing_ to do with any personal, inner issue or whatever you may think I’m going through right now.”

She wasn’t convinced though, for there was a hint of pain in that voice of his — a pain she could recognize all too well. “Are you _sure?_ You grow so defensive, like you’re hiding something… and your voice is not as emotionless as you think it may come off as.” She took a step closer. “Tell me, Sir Lionel, what’s really going on? You must have another reason for this rescue mission, but what? _What_ is pushing you to do this? What is plaguing your mind and making you act this way?” 

He bit his lip, knowing she was right. There _was_ more reason to why he was conducting this rescue, a reason going farther than just basic human decency and into a territory that was all too personal for him — a territory in which he was plagued by memories of his father, the night he left and the morning the news of his fate came. 

“What is really going on is…” the words were on the tip of his tongue, but fell flat the moment they tried to leave. 

She looked at him, expecting something. “What? What’s going on with you?” 

“It’s—”

_A knock on the door. Mother opening it. A man with a captain's hat in his hands, looking solemn. "Mrs. Frost, I have come to deliver news of your husband."_

_"What happened, Captain?" asked Moira, voice weakened with fear. "Where is Anthony?"_

_Behind her, young Lionel quietly walked over, half-awake but curious. He had heard Poppa being mentioned, so he decided to see if he had come home early, but instead there was this captain at the door._

_"Miss Frost, your husband, he..." the captain sighed. "A storm happened — a terrible one. Lightning struck a part of the boat, fire was spreading and there was all this commotion amongst passengers. We tried getting as many people to the lifeboats as we could, especially your husband who wouldn't stop shouting about you and your son... but then the boat capsized, and the lifeboats were crushed and nearly everyone—"_

_"What happened," Moira cut him off in a trembling stern voice, "to my husband."_

_The captain bit his lip, then told her, "Only two people washed up on shore alive: me and one of my sailors. I'm sorry, Lady Moira, but your husband didn't make it."_

_Lionel's heartbeat almost halted in that moment, and the young lad swore he could feel his stomach squeeze and tie into a knot. Poppa was…_ dead? _No, it couldn't be. Poppa couldn't be dead. He was fine when he left, and he'd_ promised _he would come back soon. Fathers didn't go back on their words. They didn't... he didn't —_

_But Moira's face had this devastated expression, and her eyes were growing wet. It was a look he rarely saw on her face, only on days like when her grandparents had died, which could only mean that…_

_Suddenly, a tear fell down the woman's cheek. Then another, and another, until it finally hit him: Poppa was dead. He was gone._

_It was just him and Mother now._

_"Anthony... oh why God, why did you have to take him?" Moira cried as tears fell down her face, while the captain placed a hand on one of her shoulders._

_"I'm so sorry, Miss Frost," the captain said sadly. "I wish I could've done something to stop this, to save him, but..."_

_She shook her head, looking away from him. "No. You couldn't have done anything to prevent this. Life is just cr—" she stopped as she turned and saw her son. "Lionel!"_

"Lionel!"

Blinking his eyes, he found himself facing Adelina again. Once again, he was taken over by the memories, the cruel reminders of his past.

"Lionel, you zoned out  _again,_ " she said, stressing concern. "What is going on? This isn't like you!" 

“I’m—” his voice wavered, and he felt something pierce his eyes; something wet. “I am—” _Fine_ was on the tip of his tongue when another memory hit.

_“So Poppa’s gone?” Seeing his mother nod, his body shook with grief. “I’m never going to see him again? I’ll never…”_

_“Oh my boy! My sweet little boy…” Moira brought her son into a hug. “Even if your father is no longer with us, he’ll always be watching over us.”_

_“…will I ever see him again?”_

_A sigh from her. “Yes, but it’ll be a long while before that.”_

_Tears pricked his eyes. “But I don’t want to wait long…”_

_“I know, neither do I but we must… in the meantime, remember that your poppa loved you, Lionel. Your Poppa loved you so much.”_

“Lionel…? There's tears in your eyes.”

“What? No, there are not…” He closed his eyes as her image started to blur, wiping a hand over his face quickly. His skin was damp against the palm of his gloved hand. “I am a grown man. Grown men do not cry.”

Her expression grew soft. “It’s okay,” she told him. “You can tell me.” 

He wanted to agree with that, to convince himself it was fine and tell her the truth so he could relieve the emotional burden — and also because he kind of wanted to keep her looking at him like that — but he couldn’t get the words out. They wouldn’t leave and then there was this voice nagging at him, telling him _do not tell her. You will only make a fool of yourself if you do. Is that what you want? Do you want her to think you are weak, hypocritical fool?_

He tried not to listen to the voice, but those words kept echoing in his head and he found that there was a truth to them. If he did tell her the truth about his father’s past, then she would only see him as a hypocrite. He didn’t come to the funeral and mourn his late friend, yet he still cried over his dead father and was about to place the burden of that feeling onto her — there was not only a hypocrisy in that, but a painful irony too. 

Weakness also showed for during the whole time they had been dating, he had never brought up his father’s fate at sea in fear he would open wounds, so he just told her the man had died and left it at that. Now, telling her the truth didn’t seem too good of a choice. She would probably get angry at him for not telling her, or think lowly at him for continuing to cry over something that happened _thirty-two years ago_ while she managed to heal from an incident that happened only _five_ years ago. 

And then there was just this stubbornness in him. He couldn’t tell anyone about this, he had to keep it to himself. No one would know, nor did they need to. He just had to pretend it was nothing, move on and hopefully these flashbacks would go away. 

So he shook his head and lied: “Nothing is wrong. I am fine.” Mostly, he just wanted to convince them _both_ at this point. 

"Are you sure about that?" asked Adelina, sensing that there was a fib in his words. "Because you don't look or even sound fine."

"I am  _fine,_ " he insisted, his voice raising a bit. "I will be fine. Just... do not worry about me. Worry about the case at hand, for there's a person who is  _actually_ at harm here." 

Adelina wasn't convinced but relented, knowing she wouldn't get anything out of him right now. She'd have to find out later but for now, they had a boy and beast to find. "Alright. Just know that if there  _is_ something going on, don't keep it in, okay?" 

He smiled slightly. "Okay."

And as for Susan, well, he could only look from the distance and watch, and ponder. Ponder if Lionel was really okay as he’d said he was, ponder if Adelina’s concern for the man’s well-being stemmed from more than just a friend looking out for another friend and just pondered about the two in general.

Something was wrong with Lionel, yeah, but there was also something about Adelina too. The ape man wished he knew _what_ it was, though. His only clue with Lionel was that he seemed to have a personal thing going on tied with the cryptid somehow, while the looks Adelina gave him… it wasn’t the same she usually gave for her friends. No, it was _different_ somehow.

He only wished he knew _how_.

* * *

The trip to Chios was thankfully not too long, only a mere moment before they reached land. Immediately, they went around the island, asking if they had seen a winged stag carry off a Rroma boy in with its backlegs. Some shook their heads and said no, while others told them to scram at the mere mention of the boy and even went as far as to stay "beat it, rats!" However, after a long time of asking around, one person gave them the answer they needed to know.

"I saw the Peryton take him out to the forest," said a young girl, pointing directly at the start of the woods. "I was out getting flowers for my mother, and then I saw this deer-bird thing drag this screaming boy."

"And how long ago was that?" Lionel asked quickly, hoping they weren't too late.

"Not too long," replied the little girl, innocence in her tone. "About half an hour ago, or maybe less than that."

"Oh thank heavens," Lionel breathed, relieved. "We aren't too late then." He made a quick gesture to his friends. "Come! We mustn't waste any more time!" Then, he looked at the little girl and ruffled her hair. "Thank you, young miss."

"You're welcome, I guess," the young girl mumbled, slightly confused as she saw the trio run ahead into the woods. "What weird people..."

–

The trio ran through the forest as fast as they could, following a trail of what appeared to be specks of blood. Lionel was in the lead, racing to get to the boy before that beast could try killing him just to be able to cast its own shadow after dying at —

He skidded to a stop at the bottom of a cliff, near a cave and heard noises. He heard sounds of a boy yelling and a beast screeching.

“Stay back!” a young boy’s voice yelled, full of fear. “Don’t come any closer!”

Lionel’s instinct kicked in, telling him to go in and rescue the boy, so he did that — he ran into the cave. 

When he came into the cave, he saw young Häns’che in there. The lad was only twelve years of age, covered in bruises and cuts, holding a large stick in one hand and a rock in another as he backed up against the cave’s wall. There was fear written across the child’s face as he tried putting distance between himself and the Peryton, who stood only four steps across from him, trying to get closer and closer. There was this hunger written on the beast's face — a desire to kill to get a shadow of its own, something it was denied since its death as a sailor.

Suddenly, Lionel found himself running between the beast and boy. "Stop!" the words left his mouth, without any will to as if his mind was no longer the one in charge, as if  _he_ was no longer in charge of his own body and actions and words.

The Peryton looked at him, rage and confusion in his eyes. Behind him, he could hear the boy breathe heavily, a sound of confusion coming out between breaths. 

"Do  _not_ come any closer towards the boy," Lionel said in a low voice. "A single step further and I  _will_ get this cane dirty." At this, he gripped the cane and held it up, like the early men had done with their clubs and spears. 

The beast let out a low growl, but backed up a step. "Good," said the cryptozoologist. "Now, I understand there is a reason behind this. I know you want to gain something, something that was taken from you." 

The beast looked at him confusedly, as if asking him _what do you mean?_

“Ever since your life as a sailor ended abruptly at sea, you did not have your own shadow to cast in your current form,” he continued. “The shadow you cast now to this day is still your humanoid one, the shadow you had before you passed on, not a winged stag’s.” He saw the beast shift with this look on its face, a look of shock that he knew. “I understand your longing for your own shadow and your urge to get rid of the humanoid one, to push your past behind you—” he stopped for a second, choking on his words as he kept getting flashes. Flashes of a thirty-four year-old man’s body in an open casket, of his widowed wife crying while holding onto her son’s shoulders, of looking at the body in the casket and this disbelief that it was _Poppa_ — flashes of a funeral and burial, and a sense of losing someone close.

(He was so caught up in it all that he hadn’t even noticed that Adelina and Susan had come in a while ago, hadn’t heard them say his name before stopping as he spoke to the beast on this personal level in a way they hadn’t seen before.

He was so caught up he didn’t notice the looks of surprise and shock, especially from his love.)

“But this is not the way to go about it,” Lionel managed to go on, trying his best to ignore those memories. “You cannot just kill this boy in exchange for a shadow, because you will be doing the exact same thing the world did to you: ending a life so soon, creating another wandering soul.” The beast reared its head up and let out a grunt of objection, until he said: “Think about it, do you _really_ wish for this boy’s soul to roam the earth, looking for a way to move on, just like you?”

The Peryton scraped its hooves against the ground, preparing to charge until its eyes met with Lionel’s for a moment and then… it stopped.

(Adelina and Susan were watching the entire thing, and had been ready to step in when the beast prepared to attack…only not to when it stopped.

“Wow… I didn’t think he was a cryptid whisperer,” Susan muttered. “Well, maybe I should’ve since, y’know, but… not _this_ level of cryptid whispering. It’s like he’s the peaceful matador of ‘em.”

Adelina, though, could only look on in surprise as Lionel continued to talk to the beast on this level, as if they were two men talking with one another instead of a man communicating with a literal dead soul in a cryptid’s body trying to kill a boy.

The way Lionel looked, the glint in his eyes — there was some weird understanding mixed with hurt in there. She wished she knew _what_ kind though.)

“That’s it,” murmured Lionel, slowly inching his way to pat the winged stag’s head. “I — I am sorry for the untimely fate you and your comrades had suffered at sea. I know…” He swallowed a lump down his throat. “I knew a man who had died a similar fate on his way here and I can grasp how bad it feels, I really do, and I get why you would want to put that in the past… but there is always another way. It does not have to be like _this_.”

Slowly but surely, the creature seemed to calm down. Seeing it calm down made Lionel nearly smile, if it had not been for an image flashing — an image of his father in the creature’s place. Tears immediately sprung into his eyes and he tried shaking his head, gulping down yet another lump forming in his throat. 

“The time of agony that tore your heart and drowned your lungs is over,” he said, trying to hold back tears. “If you have a heart, then reach inside it and try to forgive and let go… for _yourself_.” A traitorous tear escaped, but he tried to smile in spite of it. “If you forgive, then you can truly _live_.”

The more the Peryton calmed down, the more Lionel kept getting images of his father in the winged stag’s place. Kind blue eyes, long pointy nose, a kind smile only for him — he couldn’t stop remembering, no matter how hard he tried. “And if you truly live, then… then love will live.”

The Peryton rubbed its head against his hand, before letting out a low sound and stepping back. There was now a content look on its face, like it was now at peace. Its eyes closed and suddenly, its wings began to disintegrate into... butterflies.  _Grey butterflies_.

_“Hey, Poppa?”_

_“Yes, son?”_

_“Some of the cryptids you go after are ghosts, right?”_

_“Yes, some are… why do you ask?”_

_“What happens when an angry soul is at peace?”_

_“Well, it depends… if the soul remained in a human form, then it would simply fade and pass onto the next life. The latter still applies but in the case of a soul taking on another form, it would fade into little grey butterflies and fly off to become a child of the air.”_

_“Oh… so if you ever died, would you become butterflies or would you pass on?”_

_“Hah! Oh, my boy… let's not think of that now, especially when it'll be a long while before I leave you.”_

With the images flashing in his mind, he saw his father in the Peryton’s place again and panicked. “Po- Poppa?”

The creature’s body kept disintegrating into flowers, until only the upper half was left and even then, it was quickly fading. 

“ _Woah_ ,” Lionel could hear Häns’che murmur behind him. Meanwhile, the man watched on helplessly, stuck in the illusion of his father fading into little grey butterflies.

_“Mum, why did Poppa die when it wasn’t his time?”_

_“I don’t know, little one. I don’t know.”_

_“I miss him.”_

_“I do too, son… but don’t worry. As I told you before, you_ will _see him again one day, I promise.”_

“Poppa, no!” he found himself yelling, no longer willing himself to stay composed. “Don’t leave!”

Young Häns’che looked lost and confused by this as did Susan and Adelina.

“Poppa?” Susan asked, eyebrow raised. “But you’re human, unless—”

“ _No!_ Poppa, don’t go!” Lionel kept yelling, even trying to catch the last of the butterflies as they flew off, chasing them. “ _Don’t go!_ Please, I _need_ —!”

“ _LIONEL_!” yelled Adelina as she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back, before he could run off after the last of the butterflies. “ _What’s gotten into you_ ?!” she cried, turning him to face her. “Why are you acting this way? Why are you calling it _Poppa_ of all words? _What’s going on_?” 

“I…I can't…” he tried opening his mouth to say something, anything, but all he could do was look over and watch as the butterflies flew off into the sky, becoming children of the air. He felt another tear roll down his cheek. “ _I can't_ —”

"You _can_ say it, Lionel," said Adelina softly, placing a hand on his cheek. He winced, looking back at her. "Please."

Their eyes met for a few seconds, but then Lionel looked ahead and saw Susan now with his arms on Häns’che's shoulders. He shook his head, realizing that now wasn’t the time to get emotional. The boy needed to be returned to his grandmother, stat.

“I will explain later,” he said. “First, we must take Häns’che back home. Dorenia is probably worried sick at this point.”

Adelina pursed her lip in an unsatisfied manner, wishing he wasn't hiding stuff from her. She knew he had a point though and accepted having to wait again. "Alright, let's go then."

As the two adult humans headed out of the cave, Susan helped coax the young human boy into following them. "Come on, we're going back to your grandma's place. She missed you a lot." 

* * *

Hearing a knock on her door near sunset, Dorenia had prepared herself for bad news. When she opened the door though, she was instead met with a young face she had worried that she wouldn't see ever again. " _Häns'che_?"

" _Puri daj_?" the young boy asked, a small smile on his face.

"Häns'che!" the old woman cried out happily, tears of joy streaming down her face as she pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh, Häns'che...!"

The boy hugged his grandmother back tightly. "Puri daj..."

From afar, the trio watched both grandmother and grandson hug, touched by the scene. 

"Awww, a family together again," cooed Susan, a big happy smile on his face. 

Adelina nodded, smiling as well. " _Tan conmovedor_." She looked over to Lionel, noticing he seemed somber. "Lionel...?"

Lionel was quiet, until he realized she was talking to him. "Oh, Adelina! Sorry, I was just looking on at the scene."

"It's touching, isn't it?" she asked him. "Abuela reunited with nieto..."

"Yes," he murmured, giving a small nod, still looking somber. "It is."

She noticed how solemn he seemed. "Lio—"

"I will explain when we are on the boat," he interrupted her.

She eyed him, then sighed. "Okay then, fine."

And as Lionel continued to watch the grandmother and grandson hug, he felt a twinge of envy. Envy that he and his mother couldn't have hugged his father like that, envy that his father couldn't have come home for them to hug him — it was wrong, but he felt envious because while he could try and envision his family in the two's place, he knew it would never be true.

Because his father was gone and in his place were just painful memories of the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See what I mean when I said the OC was going to be relevant? Well, bam. Here's the angsty reason why.  
> I might post ch. 8 soon since I did write a bit of it ahead of time, so maybe if I'm lucky enough, it'll come out tomorrow for the Day of the Dead. As for some of the foreign words used in this chapter (minus the spanish because it's usual Adelina stuff):  
> Kyría - Greek for "lady" or "madame."  
> Efcharistó - Greek for "thank you."  
> Puri daj - Romani for "grandma."  
> And as for the cryptid used for this chapter: the peryton was created and described by Argentine writer, Jorge Luis Borges, in his 1957 Book of Imaginary Beings, using a supposedly long-lost medieval manuscript as a source. Obviously, it's not really widely known cryptid and it came way later than in the timeline for this story, but I think it's kinda justified using it since it does semi-tie into Lionel's story with his dad and all.  
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! Bye~


	8. i want to hold you high and steal your pain away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The worst is over now and we can breathe again_  
>  _I want to hold you high, and steal my pain away_  
>  _There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight_  
>  _I want to hold you high and steal your pain_  
>  – Seether and Amy Lee in "Broken."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while I wasn't able to get this done for Day of the Dead, I was able to finish it during the week which is really good and actually pretty fast considering how long it takes for me to write a chapter usually. Then again, I did kind of write a good chunk of it prior just to prepare for any angst later on within the fic, but either way, I hope the wait has been worth it! Like I've said before, enjoy!

The walk to the docks was quiet, filled with this painful silence. After all that had happened, it was obvious to even Susan that Lionel wasn’t going to be in the mood to talk until they got on the boat. Still, Adelina wasn’t too keen on the silence. On one hand, it did help her friend gather himself but on the other, it built this kind of tension on the way to the boat that was unbearable. She wanted so badly to talk to him, to ask him how he felt but she couldn’t speak and neither could he. What could they even speak of on the way to the boat that _wouldn’t_ tie in with the earlier events and his breakdown?

Family?

That was obviously out of the question. When they’d dated, she had only heard of his mother a couple of times, which gave her the impression he only talked with the woman and wasn’t much of a visitor. As for his father, that was a sore spot they’d be talking about on the boat, not now.

Her life?

They talked about it in her letters — not all of it, obviously, but good parts of it that she managed to get out to him. Would he even be interested in hearing more of it now, after having such a low emotional moment?

Feelings?

Adelina winced. She got the feeling things weren’t okay at all. She missed the days when she could open up to a person and the days when Lionel didn’t try hiding his other emotions besides pride, enthusiasm and that thrill for adventure. She knew there was more to him than all of those and after the whole Shangri-La thing, she used to cling to the thought that maybe one day, he would show that. Now, though? She wasn’t so sure… now she was afraid of pushing it, of making his emotions a ruin. She wanted to talk with him about it but at the same time, she was scared of pushing it.

She glanced over at Lionel, noticing how he still looked so solemn. His eyes kept shifting between ahead and down at the ground. There was a frown on his face and he was fiddling with his cane, drumming his fingers on the wolf head of it like it was a habit of his that kept him calm.

“Um,” she started. “So… how’s that cane?” 

He stopped fiddling with it, looking at her. “Hm?”

“I mean, is it fun to play with?”

“Well… I would not call it ‘playing’ so much so as I would prefer calling it ‘calming stimulation’, but yes, it is quite fun.” He started fiddling with it again. “Relaxes the nerves.”

“Oh good, _bien_ ,” she said, looking between the man and his cane. “You know, when I was little, I used to play around with my dolls whenever I got upset… but then I got older and decided buying pets was easier, provided real friends.” She saw a bit of hurt in his eyes and quickly added: “Not that you aren’t a good friend! I mean, it was long ago when we were on the rough patch and I lost…” The hurt in his eyes only showed more and she winced, knowing she was striking cores already.  _Nice job, muchacha. Such a good amiga._ “Nevermind. What I mean is that I get having an object that helps calm down your nerves when you're having a rough time, but I think it's also important to include friends in your life that are there for you when you're upset — some real emotional support, you know?”

He stared. “I... _suppose_ you have a point.” 

“I just think it would be better for you to stop being secretive about this thing,” she told him with as much honesty as she could. “It’s clearly upsetting you and wanting to push it all aside isn’t healthy.”

He was about to shoot back at her with a retort, but he realized he couldn’t. She was right, so he stayed quiet and silence fell over them again as they continued their way to the boat.

By the time they got to the boat, Adelina noticed Lionel pause as they stepped on the boardwalk. He tensed up, eyes wide as he looked at the boat, then down at the water beneath. He was hesitating.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Susan asked his friend, both curious and concerned.

Lionel didn’t respond. He just continued to stare ahead at the boat, feeling his blood go cold. He had gone out to Greece and seen a Peryton, something his father had tried years ago but in that case, it cost the man his life. The forty-four year-old had even hallucinated the man fading away… how could he even board the boat with all that had just happened? How could he return to England, or even face his own friends?

“Come on, Lionel,” Adelina coaxed, bringing him out of his thoughts. “It’s okay.” 

She held her hand out to him, and he looked at her for a moment. She had this kind, reassuring smile on her face and in her eyes, he found some comfort. In her eyes, he could see her asking him for his trust, so he decided to do exactly that. He grabbed her hand, allowing her to help him get onto the boat. It shook a little as he boarded it, but he supposed that was given seeing as how there was also his two friends boarding it, one of them literally being bigfoot. Besides, looking into Adelina's eyes as he got on the boat helped soothe his nerves, even if just a little.

Once they boarded the boat, Susan was quick to bring out some of the food they had packed. “Anyone want some oysters? They’re still fresh, don’t worry. Just checked and _mmm_!” He bit into one, savoring the taste. “Delicious!”

“No thank you,” Lionel quietly declined, going over to remove the rope that tied the boat to the docks, allowing the boat to start going forward into the sea. “I am not in the mood for food right now.”

“Oh,” said Susan, a bit saddened that his friend didn’t want to join him in eating oysters. “Okay.” He looked to Adelina. “Adelina?”

“No gracias,” she also declined, her focus on Lionel. 

The ape man shrugged. “Alright, more for me, I guess.” He went back to eating oysters.

Adelina kept focusing on Lionel, who had his arms leaning on the railing of the boat as he looked down at the ocean waters. It was clear that he was still upset over what happened earlier, still sad about it all. She didn’t know what exactly was making him so sad, but she had a clue: something about his father. She knew his father had died long ago, but he never really went into much detail as to how so she assumed it was merely something such as a heart attack or disease. Now though, she was starting to think it might be something else. What it was, though, she would find out  _now_. She had to, not just to answer that question she had but also so that she could help her dear friend.

“Lionel?” 

He glanced over at her, eyes soft and kind. “Yes, Adelina, what is it?”

“Are you ready to tell me now?” she asked him, voice quiet with concern. 

“You mean about the breakdown?” he asked for clarification.

She nodded at this. “Yes. You were acting so bizarre and I’m so worried about you,” she said with worry. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. Why were you acting like that? It wasn’t like you.” _Wasn’t like my Lionel,_ she added quietly.

He was silent at first, staring at her for a few minutes until he said, “Alright, I will tell you.”

At this, a small smile appeared on her face and she sat down next to him. He looked at her, then down at his hands and tried to ignore the sounds of waves as the boat sailed deep across the ocean. His stomach was squirming. “This is not going to be a happy tale to hear,” he warned her.

“Ah,” she said. A pause, then: “Look, Lionel, if you want to talk to me, then I want to hear it. You’re my friend and I care about you a lot. If this will help you and your emotions, then let me _hear_.”

Lionel took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds. He shakily took Adelina's hand into his, clasped it tightly, felt her give his a reassuring squeeze back, her fingers running along his. He exhaled.  _Okay, now..._ “My father,” he began, and then immediately faltered. When he opened his mouth again, it wouldn't come out. Another deep breath. “Forgive me, but this is hard. I’ve never really been able to talk to anyone about this.” 

“That’s fine,” Adelina said immediately, quiet and steady. “If you aren’t ready, then I understand. I’m sorry if it feels like I’m pressuring you to tell me, that was never what I meant to do.”

His heart squeezed inside his chest. He bit his lip and clenched his free fist. “No,” he said. “I am going to tell you. I _will_ tell you. You are right, I need to tell someone about this and the first person shall be you.”

She nodded silently and he took a breath in, starting over again.

(By the time Susan finished his oyster, the two had begun their conversation and he decided to distracting himself from the weird bubbly aching in his stomach by listening in. They thought he was busy. If they thought he was busy just because he wasn’t directly talking, then well, that wasn’t entirely his fault. Nope, not at all. It wouldn’t be rude if he listened in, since he was their friend… besides, observing them was intriguing and it would help him understand Lionel’s little dilemma and daddy issues easier.)

“My father meant a lot to me,” Lionel said, his voice raspy but certain. There were embers of hurt in it that he would never forget at all, really. “He was an inspiring man in every sense. There were a lot of things in him that my mother loved — his adventurous nature, his kindness; everything about him convinced her they needed each other. He was a good husband to her, and a good father to me.

“My earliest memories of him are him always talking sweetly with my mother, or him carrying me on his shoulders, or telling me about his adventures and showing me all the things he collected from them. He went away on these trips to find cryptids, you see, always coming back around a day or two with a souvenir.” There was this nostalgic smile on his face. “Whenever he left, he would always promise to come back as soon as he could and when he did, he'd give me the tightest hug ever and immediately tell me of his stories which fascinated me, made me want to be like him when I grew up — a seeker of cryptids and the like. My mother would always shake her head or roll her eyes since she was always more of a musical woman; owned her own school of music, even.”

“Oh yes, I remember that from when you told me about your mother,” Adelina recalled. During the time they had dated, he had told her quite a bit about his family so even though she had never gotten to meet them, she knew some things about them, except for one member. “But I didn’t know your father was the type for adventure, much less cryptids. I thought he’d be… old-fashioned.”

“My father, an _old-fashioned_ man? No,” Lionel chuckled slightly. “He was anything _but_ old-fashioned. He was full of charisma and fun-loving, only traditional when it called for it. He was very lenient with me when I was a boy, encouraging me to be rowdy. One time, he let me chase this fox in the backyard.”  

“No manches!” Adelina exclaimed in disbelief. “When I was a little girl, I’d always chase the goats on my maternal abuelos’ farm and I’d _always_ get scolded for that! There is _no way_ you got off scott-free while _I_ had to get reprimanded!”

Lionel chortled. “Yes manches. Your parents might have been less lenient, but not my father. He thought I was just going to have harmless fun with the fox… until it chased me back inside the house and Mother had to get the broom and chase it away. She yelled at my father for it afterwards, saying he was a hooligan for encouraging such ‘boisterous behavior.’” He could still remember the look on his mother’s face, how she’d been over-the-top with her scolding of his father and how he defended himself. Overall, it had been a wild, funny day for him back in his childhood… and for Adelina too, it seemed, since he saw her giggling a bit. “Of course, she quickly forgave him later on. She could not hold a grudge against a man who was a wonderful husband to her and loving father to her son. They loved each other to the point where I cannot even recall if they ever fought. Suppose I had what you’d call ‘the perfect family’ at first.”

“ _At first_?” Adelina asked, eyebrow lifting in concern. “So something happened, then?”

“Yes, something happened — something very bad. You see, one day when I was around twelve, my father decided to go out on this trip to Greece to find the Peryton.” His voice had gone toneless, he realized distantly. There was this nausea in his stomach, but he was a dark void of emotionless flow now. “He wanted to discover this creature, so he prepared to head out on this boat amongst other men and sailors. At first, when my father started doing these types of trips, my mother had not minded much. He would come back soon so she never made a fuss but she would always sort of worry about him, so at this point she… got upset at him.” He shrugged. His cheeks hurt, so it wasn’t a surprise to him when he traced his mouth and found it was such a tight smile. “She did not talk to him after he bid me farewell first, but she was not angry with him… just not happy with him. She asked him, 'Is this something you want to do, Anthony? Leave us for this trip, for this mythical creature?' He went on kissing her hands and telling her he wanted to discover this creature because the world ignoring it was simply not right, in his words. Those were one of the many words he said that inspired me.” The tight smile of his grew a bit genuine for a few seconds, remembering this. _Oh, my boy, you really are your father’s son,_ was something his mother told him a lot growing up, and he’d be damned if he didn’t try following that to a T.

“So you were a papá’s boy,” guessed Adelina. “And he was your idol.”

“Yes, you are correct,” Lionel replied with a nod. “Even at such emotional times, he had a way with words and speech… something I looked up to a lot as a boy. It was also what let my mother give in and let him go on that ‘trip’, but not without a warning. ‘Don’t you dare get hurt out there, you hear me?’ was what she asked of him but even though he promised her he would be fine and back soon, he wouldn’t,” he swallowed briefly, and then forged on, “He wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. The next morning, the ship’s captain came in and talked with my mother. He told her that there was this lightning storm at sea and one of the bolts hit a part of the boat and caused a fire, which lead to the crew trying to get as many passengers onto the lifeboats as possible but… the boat capsized before anyone could board them.” He stopped for a moment to breathe. “The only survivors were the captain and a sailor. Everyone else, including my father who spent his last moments yelling about how he had to get back to me and my mother… dead.”

Adelina’s face fell, overcome with this surprise and sympathy. “Oh Lionel, I… I had no _idea_. _Lo siento mucho._ ”

“It is alright. I never told you, so of course you had no idea.” Numb as he was, his hands and voice were still shaking. His hand would have gone cold if it weren’t for her soft, warm hand holding his. “I listened in when the captain told my mother what had happened, though sometimes I wish I hadn’t. It hurt back then to learn that the man I looked up to so highly, my own father who I loved, was dead. As a wee lad, I had thought he would always be there with me… I thought he would get to watch as I grew up, tried to make him proud, carry on the legacy he wanted me to even if he never spoke of it. I just knew he would have wanted that and I wish he could have seen it, but he never got to.”

He closed his eyes, trying to push back that urge to cry. He felt her stroke his shoulder silently with her other hand, not a single word leaving her mouth. He entwined their fingers together. “I loved my father. He and I were so close when I was young that every night when he was away, I’d look out the window at the moon and hum this tune he and Mother had composed together. He never got too strict, never yelled at me or let me down. He told me stories, let me see his souvenirs and he even told me how he wished for me to follow in his footsteps… so I swore to him that I would do that and I would make him proud. I never thought he would one day die, far from home at sea. I never thought I would have to accompany Mother to his funeral, see his corpse in the open casket and watch as they buried it. I never thought I would have to grow up without a father.

“I wanted it all to be some sick joke or bad dream,” he managed to force out, opening his eyes and blinking them, looking anywhere but at her. “After the funeral, I would close my eyes each night and dream that he was still there, that he was still alive. I would dream that the news the captain had given was some dark prank, and Poppa had come home safe and sound. Then morning would come and I would head downstairs, only to see Mother there and realize it was only a dream. I think — I think that’s why I grew up to do all that I did.

“It still hurts and I am still sad. It’s been thirty-one _years_ and I am still confused. Not a day goes by where I don’t wonder _why?_ Why him? Why my father of all people, a man who had done no wrong?” He was glassy eyed, staring ahead into a blank space as he spoke. “I am still disappointed in God for not sparing him, I am disappointed in the fellow crewmen and the captain of that ship — so much disappointment towards everyone who had the opportunity to help him. I still miss him and wanted to spend more time with him than the time we ultimately had. The way he died, so young and with such a future ahead of him… I think it damaged me, in a way. I felt such a weight on my shoulders, like I had to carry his legacy… like I _had_ to continue with the cryptozoology, not only because I loved it but also because it was what _he_ would have wanted. I made a promise to him and I could not break that promise. I could not let my father down.” 

Silence hung in the air. Adelina glanced over, wanting to say so much, but not to invade what must be one of the worst moments of his life. Lionel looked back at her with kind tear-filled eyes. Then, she did something unexpected. 

Wordlessly, she reached out and put her arms around him, just holding him. She hugged him with utter tenderness and comfort, which he let her do. The sudden warmth gracing his body helped him regain his composure, even if only a little. 

“So,” he continued, “I — I did exactly that. Once I turned eighteen, I set out searching for various kinds of cryptids… but along the way, I found the optimates club and I thought to myself, _‘well, if Father were alive, he would have wanted me to be a part of this society of great men.’_ I think we all know how that went, though. Years wasted, trying to prove myself to a bunch of conservative imperialistic twats who couldn’t give a _damn_ if I existed, who wouldn’t have even blinked if I died — a bunch of folks who only saw me as a fool, the little sap whose father died at sea and nothing more.” His breath nearly hitched in his throat again, and he found himself choking on his words as tears blurred his vision —

Until Adelina put her hand on his cheek, making him look at her. “Lionel,” she said softly, tenderly. “Deep breaths, okay? Deep breaths.” 

Lionel blinked and tears escaped his eyes, trickling down his cheeks. He slowly took a breath in, then out, repeating the actions until his breathing finally reached a normal rate. Once it did, he buried his head into her neck and his hands clutched the back of her shirt, squeezing his eyes shut. This intimacy — he had missed it and needed it so, _so much_.

And Adelina allowed it. She allowed him to nuzzle his head into her neck while she stroked his back gently and whispered “it’s alright” and other sweet, soothing things to him. She did her best to calm him down, to make him feel better and it warmed his heart up.

“It — it means a great deal to me that you have been so patient with me, putting up with _this_ and the nonsense from earlier. I know I was and still am unreasonable. I know I was hypocritical years ago, not attending the funeral even though the death was so similar and _he_ was also so young and—” he stopped, seeing her flinch at this. _Nice going, you arse_. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have — _I just_ —”

“Lionel,” Adelina said gently, and he hushed. “It’s not right for me to hold your behavior against you, both past and present. You were shaped into this at such a young age; you lost your father in your early life, at only twelve years. When you lose someone at that age, it can take a long time to heal. It took me two years to recover from… from the avalanche and _his_ death. Your progress in mourning is remarkable, honestly.

“And as for missing the funeral and your supposed hypocrisy, it’s been two years,” she went on even gentler, in a more hushed tone. “Yes, I was mad in the beginning, but I’ve moved on ever since I saw that proof. I’ve accepted that we can’t change the past and what happened between us and that whole mess, but we can face the future together. We both had our own faults, but it’s time to move on.”

Lionel shook his head. “No, it was mostly my fault. You had every right to be angry at me. I hurt you so many times, I hurt _him_ by being so petty and I didn’t show up at _his_ funeral, and I was just so foul and hypocritical… you had every right to be furious.”

“Either way, like I said before: we can’t take back the past,” Adelina spoke so kindly that it baffled the man. “I’ve seen proof that you do care about others. We are friends and we are here, alive and safe and recovering — that is the only thing that matters right now.” 

He grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. Carefully, he pulled away from the hug and opened his eyes. She was much more composed than any of the other people he vented to in the past — doctors and therapists, mostly from when he was in his early twenties because by the time he reached twenty-nine, he began bottling it all up — had been but then, she usually was the more calmer one anyway. There was concern in her eyes as she watched him — concern, and this other emotion he couldn’t quite place. It was this kind of caring, he knew, but what? Well, whatever it was, he liked how she looked at him with it. 

“Thank you for listening,” he told her. “I know this sounds… bad, but I am always going to be grateful for how you have been so good to me. You are so _wonderful._ You are supportive, caring, mindful of other people’s needs, patient and keep trying despite how ridiculous I am.” Seeing her still smiling, he felt collywobbles all over, an intense love for her beating in his heart. She was just so... _perfect_ , and… he had to tell her now, he had to. “Adelina, I… I lo—”

“I’m sorry to cut in and all that,” Susan said suddenly, and the two humans turned to him. He flinched, knowing he was probably being a nuisance but had to say something. He couldn’t just stay quiet while Lionel was obviously sad and leave Adelina to do all the talking when she’d done that so many times on their other two adventures. Lionel was his friend. He had to comfort him somehow. “But I just… I’m hearing everything and I just want to say: I know how it feels, not having a father. When I was little, I had no family… no mother, father or any of that, just leaves and bushes and some forest critters that occasionally came by so I understand how upset you are. Well, maybe not loss wise but how it feels to just...not have a family member.” He tried smiling. “But even if your father's gone, you still got us so don't be sad, okay?”

A small smile came upon the cryptozoologist’s face. “Thank you, Susan. I’ll try not to be sad, even if it is hard.”

“And if you ever feel sad like this again, remember that you have your friends with you if you ever need a shoulder to lean on,” Adelina told him, rubbing his shoulder gently. “So don’t you ever feel the need to hide anything from us. We’re all friends here and we’ve gone through so much together so if anything is going on, we tell each other, understood?” She knew this was a bit hypocritical on her end as she never did like to tell about the cons in life, but that wasn’t the point right now. The point was to make Lionel feel better and chase away his sorrows, steal the pain away. 

These words echoed in Lionel’s mind, sticking themselves in a box in a part of it and locking itself there, storing away for when what went around would come around. He nodded at her words and said, “Understood.”

Seeing him starting to smile more, hers grew bigger. "Good." She hugged him again. "The one thing I want right now is for you to feel better soon."

"I do," he mumbled, pressing his long yet soft nose to her forehead. He might not have been able to tell her but that was fine because right now, the warm comfort she gave him was enough to make him happy. In such a rough moment of his life, this was all he needed. "Thanks to you." 


	9. in a town that's cold and gray, we will have a sunny day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You don't know but that's okay_  
>  _You might find me anyway_  
>  _Don't you know that I_  
>  _Belong arm in arm with you, baby?_  
>  – Regina Spektor in "Raindrops."
> 
> In which Lionel pays Adelina a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was an interesting chapter to write, since I kind of had to look back at the study scene at first for a reference / parallel to it. Of course, it’s much different since it’s post-canon but still, quite fun to make a parallel to it regardless. Writing Lionel and Adelina’s budding relationship is never short of fun really, though, especially in this chapter where there’s visits and fun long conversations in a study. Also, bonus since I got to write a bit of Ricardo and I love Ricardo, even if he’s a background character. He’s the best background character in my opinion.

Lionel spent the next week trying to help himself slowly recover from his emotional mishap. He kept Adelina’s words in mind and wrote to her frequently, to which she always managed to write back just as fast much to his happiness. She sent him photos and words, always wishing him well enough and each time he read her words and looked over those photos, he was amazed by how kind and good she was. She always listened, always said the right things, always was so passionate and kind and _perfect_. Back then, he grew giddy reading her letters in an infatuated manner equal to a hopeless romantic reading a love note from his cherie but now, his eagerness reading these letters ran so much more deeper than that. He didn’t know that it was even possible for him to fall more in love with this woman, but here he was. Oh, how a simple moment of comfort could bring two people closer than ever. 

In the last few days, Lionel was much happier than he had been when he was silent about his father's fate and how it impacted him. He learned a lot about the grieving process and that he had only just experienced one of those stages before moving onto the other, something Adelina had told him based on her own experiences. One half of him accepted it all as making sense, while the other felt guilt for not being there for Adelina at that funeral, during a time where she would have been experiencing so much grief. 

It was natural for a man like him to let a woman like her deeper into his heart so easily after so long, after missing such closeness for so many years. It was a pleasant surprise to Lionel that Adelina was almost as eager as he was when writing these letters and having these exchanges. By the week that followed that day in Greece, she was talking to him almost as sweetly as she had when they'd been a couple. She was so supportive, so understanding and said all the right things at the right time. She knew how to make him smile, how to make him happy and always succeeded in brightening his day.

So now, he wished to do the same.

He wanted to find ways to brighten her days, to make her happier than ever — he wanted to pay her back for everything, somehow. She was always so good with him, so he wanted to be just as good with her. It would help with getting her back as well, too. He wanted to be someone she could count on, someone she could trust, someone she could express her deepest feelings to… someone as great as she was.

So he decided to do all he could to pay her back, to show her that he was great enough for her. He was going to make sure to say the right things, to do the right things and just reach to that level of greatness so he could have her back. He was going to take all the small steps there were to the right direction so he could be on the biggest step to earn her love, to show her he was the one for her just as he believed she was the one for him. He was going to do every small thing with great love, hoping it would all pay off in the end.

And right now, one of those small things was visiting her.

It had been three years since Lionel visited Adelina's house, and that visit wasn't exactly the best reunion visit. Looking back at it now, he had acted poorly. He said things in poor taste (especially with offering to pay for the map), did things in poor taste by skipping that funeral and having a selfish reason behind that and then breaking into her house hours later after she had — rightfully, he knew now — thrown him out. Overall, he hadn’t been the best guest when visiting after cutting himself off because he couldn’t handle facing the fact that he lost her… even when trying to charm her into giving the map all because she didn’t want her to know about Susan, to get involved and tag along since the bounty hunter Dunceby had sent would go after her too and he couldn't have afforded that to happen even if it eventually did. Well, that and he had wanted to flirt with her a bit during that visit, for old time’s sake.

That was how he used to act, though. That wasn't him anymore. He was a changed man now and not only could Susan vouch for him, but Adelina herself could too. 

Now, he was going to visit her not to get the map, but for the sake of visiting and catching up. He wanted to see how she was fairing, how things were going aside from all that she had spoken about in her letters — since he knew that a woman who’d locked herself up would hide a few things even after leaving solitude — and if she was okay and really, just to chat for old time’s sake. He loved talking with her in letters, but sometimes a cup of tea and a nice conversation in person was needed. So far, their interactions in person were just their adventure planning at his place and adventures themselves which was all fine and dandy, but he missed visiting her regularly. He hadn’t done that since they… he pushed that thought aside.

The point was that now, he was going to pay her a visit. She usually was the one who visited him nowadays, so it only seemed fair that he do the same for her. Besides, if he learned anything from the butler when he tried getting the map three years ago, it was that she didn’t normally have visitors come over to her house, so it was best he did this. Not only would he get to catch up with her some more and have a one on one conversation with her outside of the adventures, but he would be inching closer in the way to her heart. 

So he wrote to her the day he made that decision, telling her he would be coming over to pay a visit to her casa. She wrote back, saying she was eager that he was coming over as she hadn't had a visitor in three years since that fateful day.  _It'd be fantastico if you came over,_ she'd gone on. It touched his heart, knowing she was as eager to have him over as he was to come over. If she was this eager to hear that he was coming over, then it meant that she had  _wanted_ him to visit. She _wanted_ him to come over. She wanted him,  _Sir Lionel Frost,_ to be at her house. This thought sent his heart into a hard pounding. This was a sign of something, it had to be. He just  _knew_ it had to mean  _something_. What it was... well, he'd find out eventually. 

Either way, as soon as Lionel had received her letter, he bid Susan goodbye and told him to take good care of the place while he went for the docks to a ship that would take him to America, more specifically New York. On the way to New York, he thought of the past and how he used to visit Adelina during the time they had been dating, when he came over to her simple little home then and they talked, and they'd embrace and kiss before saying their goodbyes. He thought of how she once spoke so lovingly to him and how he did the same, though he never stopped, and how they were much more intimate. He thought of how she would say "I love you" and he would always say in turn, "I love you too." He thought of the love shared in those past visits before it had gone wrong somewhere down the line, of how the words in one of the letters she'd written before it ended were _why must your quests always be for glory? Consider the discovery for the sake of knowledge. I have no time for these optimates_ and his heart twisted and turned into a painful knot. Why couldn't he have listened to her then and there? If he had, then he would have never lost her love and trust and they would still be together.

When the ship arrived at New York, he quickly went to the train station and boarded a train headed for Santa Ana, California. On the way there, he thought of the good times that came after that fateful time in 1898. He thought of the day she finally wrote to him in years, the delight that was reading her letter, how they had begun writing to each other and all of those letters that followed. He thought of their rekindled, blossoming friendship and all the good words they exchanged with each other over the course of three years. He thought of the day she wrote of how she would come to visit him, and the day she did and how she announced she was going to come with him and Susan on their adventures. He thought of the current adventures the trio gone on together, all of his attempts to woo her and the moments that brought them closer… and his heart swelled with courage, hoping his future attempts wouldn’t fail and that this visit would be perfect. 

By the time the train stopped at the station in Santa Ana, his breathing grew ragged. Three years. It had been three years since he stepped foot here. The last time he did, there had been a shootout between his love and the bounty hunter his rival had sent to assassinate him. She had shot at that disgusting little heathen so fiercely, with such a precise aim that it still amazed the cryptozoologist to this day. The way she had declared _it is time for this unhappy bird to break out of her cage_ while shooting, then going on to say she was joining him and their bigfoot friend on the journey to the Himalayas… it still left him in awe of how the vibrancy and spirit never left her, how this beautiful bird could be so confident to the point where she could simply state _para nada_ and he would simply accept her joining. Three years ago at this train station, his lovely bird had finally spread her wings and flew.

And now, he was only a few blocks away from the lovely bird’s nest — her glorious casa, where she awaited him. The same place where they had that visit that didn’t go too well, where he screwed up by acting a little selfishly again and also failed at trying to flirt. The very casa he broke into for the map. This was the casa he was heading to now, hoping to make this visit perfect in order to make amends for the last and have a good talk with her… and flirt too, obviously. This time, he wasn’t going to botch it up. Everything was going to go smoothly, or at least he hoped so.

He made his way down the streets, throughout the neighborhoods to his destination. Along the way, he felt some of the locals staring at him like he was an elephant amongst birds, like he was an outsider. Well, technically, he _was_ an outsider — he was one of the few Englishmen, one of the few _gringos_ there now amongst a bunch of Latinos. He wasn’t an immigrant like the few gringos there, just a visitor… a tourist, they most likely thought. Even if some of the locals had pale skin like him, it was clear he still didn’t fit in with them as he was not one of them. He wasn’t a Mexican, Argentine, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian, Salvadoran, Guatemalan or any other kind of Latino. He wasn’t from Central America, South America, the Caribbean or even the stolen lands like certain areas of Texas — he was an English-speaking gringo from Britain. By every account, he was an outsider in this place. He looked and sounded like the men who spoke lowly of the individuals here, and he knew very well that the stares he got were nothing compared with what they had to go through when they or their ancestors first got to Santa Ana. 

So he tried not to pay much mind when he passed by the staring folks, the elders with judgement in their eyes and the younger men and women who whispered, thinking he wouldn’t hear. He looking up at the cloudy grey sky as he walked through town, trying to find some sunshine while the folks chattered. 

“Mira, un gringo!”

“How’d you figure out he’s a gringo?”

“Look at him. He clearly ain’t from here, and look at how he’s dressed — old rich boy from Europe!”

“¿Por qué demonios está él aquí?”

“Maybe the gringo’s here thinkin’ there might be gold somewhere. You know how some of those folks are.”

“Or maybe he’s just another one of those tourists. You know, the ones who think they know all about local customs but don't?”

“Or _maybe_ the británico’s looking for a chica, some love in this place.”

“Maybe — wait, I think I recognize that guy from somewhere.” 

“You _do_?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I do! El hombre in the nun’s outfit from the train station — from that shooting three years ago, remember?” 

“Oh yeah, now I remember! Señora Fortnight was storming up at the station, pushing people — including me and my wife — yelling ‘ _Sir Lionel Frost!’_ while the guy was crossdressing with some ape man… then she pulled out a gun and yanked a map away from him, until an ugly Quasimodo-looking man came in and this shootout escalated. Poor train conductor had to get out of there as soon as he could.”

Upon hearing Adelina being mentioned did Lionel stop mid-walk, turning to look at three men conversing.

“So the británico is involved with Señora Fortnight? ¿Por qué no es sorprendente?”

“Because she’s always getting involved with foreign men, even during that time she locked herself up in that grand mansion of hers because she was so sad about the _avalancha._ Probably because she thinks she’s so much better than all of us because her padre was _muy rico_ back in Puebla, so she hangs out with the rich Englishmen, only having one friend that _isn't_ an Englishman being that butler of hers... Señor Sosa, I believe?”

“Maybe it’s also gotta do with some self-hatred. I mean, maybe back at home none of the men there wanted _la moza_ so she left and tried it with foreign men.”

Lionel’s blood began to boil at the way the men spoke of Adelina. It was disgusting how they talked about her like she was some kind of uppity prude when she wasn't. She was a lovely woman who was very down-to-earth, nothing like how they said. She didn't deserve to be talked about in such a degrading manner, especially being called  _moza_ of all things which even he, an Englishman with limited knowledge of other languages, knew wasn't a good word. It wasn't the most derogatory, but it still was not a word to call a lady, especially not one like Adelina. 

“Hey, maybe you’re onto something! Maybe no one wanted _una moza sociable_ with such an attitude and temper, so she sought approval from esos hombres británicos.”

At this point, Lionel decided he was going to put an end to this and cut in. "Excuse me," he said, trying to keep cool. "But I believe I overheard you talking about a Madame Adelina Fortnight, is that correct?" 

The three men turned to him. "Yeah," one of them said. "What about it?"

"Well I'll have you know that she happens to be a friend of mine," Lionel started, his voice calm but also slightly raised as he glared at the three. "And I do not take kindly to you talking about my friend in such a _disrespectful_ manner. She is a lady and ladies are to be treated with _respect._ Would you like it if I spoke of your female friends that way?" The three men glanced between each other, all looking surprised. "No, you would not, so I suggest you three keep your mouths shut or else I'll have to see to it that  _you_ will be the talk of the town instead and believe me when I say it will  _not_ be in a pleasant light." Emphasizing his point, he jerked his finger at one of their chests. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Cr-crystal!" 

"We won't talk badly about her again!" 

"Promise!"

Lionel's eyes stayed narrowed, but he took a step back. "Good." He turned to continue down his path, but not before turning and shooting another glare at them and saying, "And if you break this promise, there'll be hell to pay." With that said, he continued his way to Adelina's place, leaving the three men to cower and gulp in fear.

No one talked about Sir Lionel Frost's love like that and got away with it. _No one_.

* * *

When Lionel finally arrived at Adelina’s casa, he felt his heart pounding hard as he stepped past the risen gates to the looming front door. The cold grey atmosphere that was in town seemed to have faded once he got there for while the sky was still cloudy, the atmosphere seemed more cool and he could hear bits of chirping while the plants growing around seemed green as ever and the house looked so bright compared to last time he’d been there. Still, standing there was making his chest pound and sweat trickle down his forehead and dampen the palms of his hands, until he could feel some wetness in his gloves. 

He was breathing in and out, reminding himself of the technique. _One, two, three…_ though there was still anxiety as he looked at the doorknob. He couldn’t believe he was actually here after all this time. He was here and he was going to see her… or would he? What if there was a change of plans at the last minute? What if she couldn’t — no, he couldn’t think like that, not now. He had to be confident, he had to be _certain._ If he wanted her love then he couldn’t give up and walk away from her house. She had written and said she _wanted him to come_ , so she couldn’t just change her mind at the last minute. 

Though even while he tried to reassure himself, his arm still shook as he moved his hand to knock on the door. Dare he knock? Was his heart ready to explode upon seeing the rare beauty that was Adelina Fortnight? Dare he risk the butler possibly opening it and cursing at him for hitting him with the lamp and also leaving such a mess for him to clean up while his boss went to Shangri-La? 

He shook his head. _No, you can do this, Lionel,_ he told himself. He had to. He needed to see her, to talk with her in order for them to grow closer. He missed her too much to pass up this opportunity of further reconnecting, this step to rebuilding what they once had. He hadn’t stepped foot here in ages and there was _no way_ he would be turning back now. No, he was going to go through with knocking on the door for _her,_ for _Adelina_.

So he mustered up all the courage he had, pushed back that anxiety and brought his hand to the door and knocked on it. He stood there for a few seconds, waiting for someone to answer it, hoping it would be her.

But instead, someone else answered the door. 

“Sí, qué es—” Ricardo opened the door, expecting it to be one of those random townsfolk who always tried checking to see if Señora was still there but instead, he saw that it was someone else who had knocked. It was that British man who had visited three years ago, back when Señora was in the late stage of the second year of her mourning process. It was the same man who not only set her anger off by offering to pay for a map that had originally belonged to the very person Señora had mourned, but also the same man who broke into her house later that night with that weird ape man associate of his, hit him with a lamp and then left him to deal with the screaming woman, a scared Paca _and_ a bunch of broken glass on the floor. That very man was the one who knocked at the door and was standing in front of him now. He was actually back. “ _YOU!_ Why are you back?!”

Lionel winced at the venom in the butler’s tone. Of course, he should have expected that but still, just the sheer amount of anger nearly sent a chill down his spine. “No, no, do not get angry,” he said nervously, putting his hands up in defense. “I am here to pay a visit and I swear that this time, there will be no breaking in later on or any map stealing. I have learned the error of my ways and have made amends with the señora of this fine estate.” 

“I think you’ve done enough,” Ricardo growled, eyes narrowed at the British man standing in front of him. The absolute  _nerve_ of this man. “Last time you were here, you made such a mess and sent Señora into a screaming fit! Paca’s cage nearly broke, and I had to fix the window while she was gone looking for _you_ so she could get the map back! You have ten seconds to either leave now or I will kick your _trasero_ —”

“Ricardo, stop!”

The two turned around with Lionel's face lighting up with joy as Adelina came in, stepping between the two. She was wearing a [plaid green dress](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS4WugcQuOQwAlYVlSEDjxKBimTWuqMDdSEYcBb8j6USkJvSvvJWQ&s) with bronze gloves and white frills at the collar. Her hair was still done in that natural bun with the strands of curls at each side of her face, but she wore different earrings this time with dark blue diamonds. She was so gorgeous that Lionel couldn't help but stare at her with such awe and joy and wonder. 

"I'm so sorry for this," she apologized, taking Lionel's hand. "Pay no mind to what he says. Please, come in." She helped him step inside of the house, going past Ricardo as they were starting to go through the hall. 

"But señora, this man broke into your house?" Ricardo pointed out, confused as to why she was letting him inside. "He stole the map and broke the—"

"Window, I know," Adelina interrupted her butler, looking over her shoulder at him. "But during the time I was gone, we have made amends. We're friends again now and I've forgiven him for all his past mistakes and faults." She looked back at Lionel, smiling with a bit of twinkle in her eyes. "Besides, I invited him here in the first place." 

" _¿Qué?_ But _señora_ -"

"Ah, ah, ah! No buts! He is a guest here and that is _final_!" Adelina proclaimed firmly, putting her arm around Lionel's. "Now if you excuse me, mi mejor amigo and I will be off in the study doing our own thing."

With that said, she and Lionel began walking down the hall, leaving Ricardo to let out a loud sigh and shake his head. Oh, just what was Señora Adelina getting herself into with this boy? The butler could only cross his fingers and hope it wasn't one of his worst fears for the woman. If so, he would probably never be able to rest peacefully...

Meanwhile, Lionel and Adelina walked down the hall together, arm in arm. Lionel's eyes were on Adelina, focusing on the beautiful women and the way she talked and moved. She was so elegant, so pristine... and the way she had defended him even when recalling his past errors touched his heart. When she said she had forgiven him for all his errors and faults, his heart soared and nearly burst with joy, knowing he had her forgiveness. She was too good, too sweet and understanding. He was falling deeper now.

“I’m really sorry for how my butler reacted back there,” Adelina apologized to him again. “I didn’t know he was still mad about that night since it’s been three years. I thought he’d forget, I didn’t—”

“It is alright,” Lionel interrupted her in a soft tone, smiling at her. “I understand completely. I admit, I should have probably prepared for that but ah, well.” A pause… “But you said you forgave me for all my mistakes and faults. Is that true?” He had heard her and was mostly sure, but just wanted to hear it again from her mouth as it made him soar. Plus he couldn't help but tease her with it, just a little.

Adelina’s cheeks tinted a slight mahogany. “Oh, you heard that?” she asked, her voice suddenly so quiet and shy. “Well, yes… yes, it’s true. I have forgiven you.”

“At what point?” he asked, seeking more clarification. He needed to know if it was recently, or if the forgiveness went further. If it was the latter then that would mean something in terms of how she felt towards him, wouldn’t it?

“After you stood up to that old _pendejo_ ,” she answered, eyes averted from him. “All of that proof that you were now ready to finally put others before yourself, that you _did_ care for your companions and were willing to fix things… it made me realize I couldn’t hold a grudge on you any longer. Any bitter feelings I held towards you faded the moment you said you had evolved. Seeing you defend Susan like that just further proved that you _cared_.”

“Of course,” said Lionel, feeling a swelling in his chest. Was it pride? Joy? Nostalgia? Or maybe all three? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he was hit with that memory and knowing the effect his speech had on his friends, especially his dearest… it sparked a deep feeling, a damn good one at that. “He was my first friend in a years and like you said, we weren't too different at all. We wanted to belong in the wrong places, and I was damned if I let him suffer because of my selfishness… if I failed him like I did with you.” There was this look in her eyes for a few seconds. He couldn't tell if it was surprise or hurt but he knew the last five words hit her. “What I did back then was wrong, so I am trying to make up for that now by making a step in a different direction.” 

Adelina smiled, hearing that from him and seeing such a change in the man who had once been her lover. “And you have made up for it a lot, in fact,” she replied, voice filled with happiness and eyes gleaming with joy. “I’m so glad that you did. I've always held a hope that you would finally move past that whole seeking for glory and try doing things for the adventurous thrill, build relationships with others and have those last a long time. Never in my life have I ever been so glad to be wrong about someone as I was when we left Shangri-La.”

Lionel felt his heart pound harder as he heard all of this. These words... he never thought he would hear something like _this_ coming from her, such praise and joy in that he had changed. He never thought it would be more than just a simple _I saw proof._ He never thought she would be glad he proved her wrong in that his greatness wasn't a mere myth. “Ad-Adelina,” he stammered. “Do… do you really mean that?”

“Of _course_ I do,” Adelina responded. “Every word.”

A wide smile grew on Lionel’s face, eyes growing watery. “Thank you,” he beamed at her. “That means a lot coming from you…”

“It does?” she asked, surprised. Of course she knew he was attracted to her and attached to her, but there were times where she often wondered how he really took her words, how important he thought they were. Yes, he had listened to her in the pit and straightened up, but she never would have thought he valued her word _this_ much to the point where her praise meant everything to him, to the point where she could see his eyes shine with wetness. He used to value the word of those optimates so much in the past that she wondered if he would ever consider the word of others — another thing she was glad to be proven wrong about now. “...I’m glad then. I’m glad my word means something to you.”

“It does, Adelina,” he said, moving their linked arms so he could take her hand. “It means _everything_ to me.” _Just like how you mean everything to me,_ he silently added. 

She was quiet for a few seconds, trying to register those words. He said her word meant everything to him. Did it? Did it _really?_ Was that why he had done all he had done on that journey whenever she spoke up to him? Was that why he always seemed so hesitant to respond whenever she made a retort or brought up _that man who would not be named_? Were those words things that either cut into his heart and soul on a rough tone, or lifted his spirits and sent butterflies tickling his heart when on a good one? If so, then how let down must he have felt when she told him she deserved greater, that she would be going off on her own adventure? She hadn't paid much attention to his face then, averting her eyes as she addressed him before turning to Susan to address the sasquatch but in the second she  _had_ seen his face, she saw a flicker of disappointment and dejection. When she left the docks, she hadn't looked back, hadn't seen his expression. Had he felt sorrow? Disappointment? Sadness? _Heartbreak?_ Did he —

 _What the_ _hell,_   _Adelina,_ that harsh voice in her mind cut her off. _Why are you thinking like this over a few words he says? You said you deserved greater. He isn't there yet. Stop it._ But she couldn't. Her heart began fluttering as the words echoed in her mind.  _It means everything to me._ To him, her word meant _everything_... just like how his word meant everything to her. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly and all she could let out in response was, "Oh." 

It was quiet for a few minutes as they paused from walking, standing still in the hall with them looking at one another. Then, Adelina cleared her throat and said, “Glad to know.” 

Lionel’s eyes darted around, looking at all the pictures on the walls and his eyes fell upon a table — one that wasn’t too far from her study, which he specifically recalled having a photo of her and _he who would not be named_ on it. That photo wasn’t there anymore. Instead, it was just a picture of a nineteen year-old Adelina and seven boys which he assumed to be her brothers, since she was ruffling the youngest’s hair while the others were either shoving or having snarky looks and other sibling-like interactions. Strange, he thought, how the old photo had been replaced with a family one but then again, at least he wouldn’t have to face the fact he lost her in photo form again. “That’s a nice picture you have there,” he said, trying to shift away from the awkward atmosphere.

“Oh, that?” Adelina looked over to it and had a nostalgic look on her face. “I found that while going through the attic, looking for old photos after a visit I made back in December of last year. Reminded me of when I was a _mujer joven_ adjusting to adulthood back in Mexico.” She picked it up, chuckling as she recalled the photo taking process, “I still remember how it went down in that picture. Papá said he wanted a picture of all his hijos and hija after Vicente had turned nine, so we all tried posing but Tomás and Agustín kept teasing Jesús, Enrique and Humberto were shoving each other while Jorge tried cracking jokes to settle them down and Vicente…”

“You’re ruffling his hair in this picture,” Lionel pointed out. 

She smirked. “Because he was too cute and had asked if we were all playing jungle for the picture,” she replied, giggling. “And I was telling him, '¡Sí! ¡Estamos jugando en la jungla y tú eres Mowgli, nuestro chico del pueblo!'”

“D’aww, like little brother like older sister,” remarked Lionel with a chuckle. “Both equally adorable.”

Adelina’s face flushed and she put the picture down, clearing her throat once more. “Alright, how about we take the conversation inside the study? I have prepared tea and some sweets.” 

Lionel’s fingers entwined with hers. “Sounds good to me.”

* * *

“So you mentioned visiting your family a couple of times before in your letters. How is your relationship with them exactly?”

“It’s fine, for the most part. My papá’s always saying that he wanted a bit more for me in life, but he’s just glad I’m no longer moping around. Mamá’s happy that I’m taking good charge of my life and visiting more, says she wishes the best for me.”

“Your folks sound nice. Well, your mother does at least. Your father will come around, though.”

Adelina let out a low snort, holding her teacup in hand as she had been ready to take a sip. “You think so? He's not exactly open-minded when it comes to me and what I do, always said he had no idea what he'd do with me.”

Lionel gave a shrug. “I do not see why he would not come around,” he replied. “It would be ridiculous if he did not, seeing as he has you as a daughter.”

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked playfully. 

“You have a strong spirit,” he told her. “For your father to expect a woman like you to change is asinine in of itself. If he wants to keep the boat from rocking, he will come around.” _I did the moment you knocked sense into me,_ he mused. _Made me realize how foolish I was in 1898._

“I should hope he does,” she sighed. “I understand he raised a majority of sons, but sometimes I feel like he’s a bit more… rough on me. It’s a wonder I was even able to migrate from Mexico and set up a home here in Santa Ana, much less have traveled and dated you...” Then again, she never really took him to meet her family during the time they had dated. She didn’t even take _that man_ to visit them because her father was so against her having a beau in general. Until she was twenty-three, he always tried to make her go with a chaperone whenever she went out ― usually her brothers as he never trusted her male friends.

It was a wonder she ever was able to have a marriage at all, honestly, especially with a _gringo._ Her father only allowed it because "he hadn't sounded as dumb as the other British man" when she described him to him. The other British man was of course Lionel, who she had told him about and _of course_ , he never took to it well, especially not during their splitting where her father had gone on threatening him even only for her to stop him. After the whole Shangri-La thing though, she tried explaining to her father a year ago that Lionel was her friend now and he had changed but no matter what, Don Félix Rivera would not change his mind. In his eyes, Sir Lionel Frost was nothing more than a man who had broken his daughter's heart... no matter how much Adelina tried telling him otherwise. He just wouldn't listen. 

It wasn't fair, she thought. Why couldn't he listen? Why couldn't he understand that Lionel was a great man? Why did he have to be so harsh? He always listened to her brothers when they discussed their relationships, even lending them advice. Tomás and Agustín were less innocent than she was when it came to relationships with their failed first marriages and complicated relationships with their elder children and of course, the flings. Papá was never harsh on them when they spoke of this. He never yelled, never raised his voice. However, when she dared explain the whole Shangri-La story and that she was close with Lionel again after their estrangement during a visit to her old home in Puebla, what did Papá say? 

_"You shouldn't put so much trust into him yet, mija. He deflowered you before marriage, wasn't there when you needed him and never went to the funeral. He hurt you and yet you forgive him simply because he is nice and gave a job to a sasquatch you both befriended? This is a fool's move."_

She tried arguing, tried explaining Lionel had proven he was a good man and that despite his mistakes (which did not count the 'deflowering' as she had _wanted_ him to be her first because she was a grown woman and could make her own choices and they'd been dating at the time so their private intimacy was valid), he had truly changed and did care for Susan and her, but her father would not listen. He would not listen to her no matter how many times she would tell him Sir Lionel Frost was kind, selfless and wrote her letters and spoke so kindly and did silly things, sure, but they were things that always brought a smile to her face and he was a good friend to Susan and her and always was eager when she wrote to him which no one else was save for maybe her mother but her mother was family so that didn't even really count and ―

Despite all the good things she said about Lionel, all of her defense for him, Félix never listened and would never change his mind. He was too stubborn, too strict, too ...  _harsh_ on his daughter and her choices, especially when it came to Lionel. Now, Adelina could only hope Lionel was right in that Don Rivera would come around because if not, then she didn't know what she would do.

Thankfully, Adelina didn't have to dwell on the thought of her father that long, for Lionel quickly moved on to ask about another set family members: "And your brothers?"

"They've all settled down and have their own families," she replied, smiling as she thought of her sisters-in-law and all of her nieces and nephews. "From Tomás and Agustín, I've got a handful of sobrinos y sobrinas, eldest ones being Carmen and Guillermo who are twenty-two now. Carmen even got married last year to a man from San Angel named Carlos Sánchez."

"Sánchez? I feel like I've heard that name before," Lionel murmured, hit with a weird feeling of memory. Then, it hit him. On that day years ago when he met Adelina while looking for the chupacabra, he and his friends had heard some locals talking of a bullfighting family: San Angel's Sánchezes. "Wait, is he one of those Sánchez bullfighters?"

Adelina nodded. "Sí, and they had the cutest little hijo not too long after too. His name is Manuel, but we all call him Manolo." She reached over to her desk nearby and pulled out a pictures showing her with Carmen and baby Manolo. 

Lionel looked at the picture and saw how excited Adelina seemed as she stood next to her niece and great-nephew. It was so cute. Then, his gaze shifted to the wall and he noticed two things: one was that the picture of Adelina and _he who would not be named_ was gone along with the other photo of _the man_ , second was that they had been replaced. In the place of the photos was one of the woman at the Andean mountains, while another was of her and what appeared to be Vicente but older along with a woman, three year-old twin boys and a baby girl being held in Adelina's arms. "I assume that is your youngest brother's family?" he guessed, hoping he was right. Who else could the woman, the boys and the little baby be then if not Vicente's new family?

Adelina looked at the photo he was talking about and nodded again. “Yes, that is Vicente’s family. That woman is his wife, Carmelita, and the twins are Óscar and Felipe. They were born in 1896.”

Lionel’s eyes shifted to the part of the photo where she held the baby girl. “And the baby that you are holding?” 

“That is my newest niece, Imelda,” Adelina responded sentimentally. “She was born a year after we went on that journey with Susan. She’s such a sweet little niña. She turned two this year and already loves shoes, loves dancing and music… we even have our own little song.”

"Really?" Lionel asked, surprised. "I never would have guessed that..."

"Never would have guessed what?" 

"That...that you could _sing_." 

Her face flushed. "Well I don't sing a lot, only when there's this mood and I feel good enough to or if I want to."

He paused to think. Her voice was already heavenly enough as it was when she spoke, but he couldn't help but wonder if it sounded even more wonderful when she sang. "Adelina, could you possibly sing now?"

She looked at him, eyes wide. "You want me to... sing?"

He nodded. "Yes, but only if you want to."

She paused, thinking over it. She hadn't sung since her last visit to her family, only hummed sometimes. She never really sang to anyone else since she was mostly so shy about her voice and felt embarrassed to think about how her friends or other loved ones would react, so the most 'musical' thing she did was dance and even then, she hadn't done that in years since _that_ incident... but she had heard Lionel sing when they were sailing on the Mediterranean Seas. She heard him play and sing, which surprised her so much. It was only fair that she let him hear her voice after he let her hear his. "Alright, I will sing for you." With that, she opened her mouth and started humming the first tune to come into mind.

_"Todos me dicen el negro, Llorona,_   
_negro, pero cariñoso._   
_Todos me dicen el negro, Llorona,_   
_negro, pero cariñoso..."_

Adelina hesitated slightly, noticing how Lionel was watching intently. She didn't want to mess up and make a fool out of herself in front of him. As ridiculous as it sounded, she wished to entertain him, impress him with her singing. Her face flushed and she tried to ignore how her heart began beating a bit quicker than usual as she looked at him. Why'd he have to be so... cute, when he was looking at her like that?

Lionel, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off of her. She sung so beautifully, like her voice was that of goddess'. There was just so much passion, so much strength yet it was also soft and soothing, rich with melody and harmony. For a woman who claimed not to sing a lot, she sang like a _star_ , so much so she put every opera singer and every person who studied at his mother's musical school to shame.

_"Yo soy como el chile verde, Llorona,_   
_picante, pero sabroso._   
_Yo soy como el chile verde, Llorona,_   
_picante, pero sabroso."_

As soon as Adelina finished singing, Lionel began clapping. "Bravo!" he praised her. "My dear, that was  _spectacular_!"

"You ― you really mean it?" Adelina stammered, surprised by his reaction. Her cheeks flushed from a nice tawny to an interesting deep shade of carnelian. She was glad to hear he enjoyed her singing, but still couldn't help being surprised by just  _how much_ he had liked it. 

"Oh yes, indeed I did enjoy it. You have such a radiant voice," he remarked, taking her hand into his and kissing it. "It's hard to resist such a soothing, passionate sound."

"You're too kind," she said, looking away from him shyly. Her blush deepened. He was so charming that she felt her heart pulsing quickly while the knots in her stomach twisted and turned and her gut tickled her. He always knew what to say and how to flatter her, even after all this time...

"Of course," he spoke with such confidence and suaveness. It was working. He was winning her over. "For you, my dear, I cannot help but be too kind. You are too wonderful to not shower with praise." He kissed her hand again. "You are so talented and amazing... and cute." _Very cute._

She looked back and giggled. "Oh stop it!" She waved her hand in a playfully dismissive way.

"It's true," he simply said with a smirk. 

She let out a light chuckle again, her face completely flushed carnelian. He was too good. Then her mind snapped at her, yelling  _what are you doing?! You're acting like a giddy little schoolgirl with her crush! Stop this!_ Immediately, she realized she was letting her guard down too easily by falling for his words, even though they were so nice and he was so... _great_. She couldn't let that happen yet, so she quickly tried to change the topic from her, "So how about your family? How are they?" 

"My family?" he repeated, then his eyes averted from her as he looked to the ground. "Well... Susan's doing pretty good. He has always been helpful and a sweetheart." He picked up his teacup, taking a sip from it before looking back at her. "So there is that."

"And your mother?" 

"My mother..." Lionel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, fingers tapping on the side of the teacup. He hadn't visited her in a while. Never really was good when it came to his familial relationships, especially with his mother. He had wanted to visit her a week ago, but he never got around to it because... he just couldn't bring himself to. He couldn't just visit his sixty-six year-old mother and vent about how he was still upset about the loss of his father, especially when he used to stress how much of a grown man he was when he had gone and moved out. Besides, he barely visited her regularly anyhow. Last time he had was when he took Susan to see her, and that was long before Adelina came back. "Haven't seen her in a while."

"How long?" 

Lionel winced at the question while absently swirling the sugar lump in his tea around. "Some months ago or so. Susan was with me at the time so it was his first visit to her. It went pretty well though, so." He shrugged.

"Months? Don't you think you ought to visit her more?" Adelina suggested. "I mean, after all..." She fiddled her hands together, looking down at her lap, then at him. "You know."

"That's not an easy thing to bring up during a visit," Lionel replied, looking at her with a small frown. "I do not want to visit my mother only to bring up a sad topic. She is a busy teacher and does not need that to add to her stress. My visits to her are not that frequent anyway, so it isn't much of a bother." 

Adelina bit her lip. She couldn't really argue with him over that since his reasons were valid in a way. Besides, she wasn't really a frequent visitor to her father anyhow, not to mention she hadn't had a person over at her house since three years ago. "I guess that is a good reason," she murmured. "Not like I'm too different anyway..."

Catching those words, Lionel’s eyebrows raised with some concern. “Enough about me though,” he quickly changed the subject. “How about you, Adelina? How are you aside from your family life? How has life been treating you overall?” He needed to know how she was doing. He knew that she could have easily left out the rough details in those letters, leaving out her troubles. There was more going on than what she had told, he just knew there was. Why else would _those_ pictures be gone and replaced? He didn't like looking at them but he knew the memories from them meant something to her. 

“Well aside from my familial life, I’ve had a nice run of solo adventures,” Adelina began. “I got to explore corners of the world I never got to before, seen many creatures, met some people and learned of their customs… and now I’m traveling around with you and Susan, so everything is good.” For the most part. She didn’t want to talk about or dwell on the low moments she would have occasionally, how she still occasionally had to have Ricardo make a special tea for her every night so she wouldn’t be plagued by nightmares of rocks, snow and ice collapsing and her leg snapping and screams, loud screams and shouting and a horrifying _crack_. She didn’t want to bring up how one of the reasons she replaced the old photos in her home with family pictures was not only because of the fond new memories she was making, but because the old memories were too much and she wanted to move on, only going up to the attic and bringing them out to look at them once of the anniversary of _that day_. Only on that day would she look back and finally allow herself to break down but even then that was a private day of mourning, the only day she allowed herself to. No one else had to know, and certainly not her dear friend.

She didn’t want to tell Lionel about her problems and plague him with her personal issues, making him worry about them and her when he had his own life, so she chose to hide behind a smile and tell him only of the good things. If she did not acknowledge the bad parts of her life, then it would hurt less. 

Lionel frowned at her. “Really? If everything is as fine as you say, then why are all the old portraits gone?” he questioned. “I understand if you did not want to keep them up but to pretend it is for no reason at all is to lie, and you are not a person who usually lies.”

Whatever semblance of a smile she had faded. She stiffened, pulled a strand of curls and twirled her fingers around it — one of her many nervous habits she couldn’t get rid of. “So maybe there are some downs in my life,” she admitted. “Those pictures reminded me of the past and I didn’t want to think of the past. I wanted to move on from that part of my life, forget all of the pain, you know? I’d been a widow for two years, it was only a matter of time before I put that behind me.” _Like I had done by storing your letters away in a wooden board beneath my bed,_ she mused. Of course, she started opening it up after that fateful time in 1898 but he wouldn’t know that, not now. Maybe if she could ever — no, not _maybe_. She _would_ eventually let him back into her life, it would just take some time before she did, before she was ready.

“Understandable,” he accepted with a nod. He could relate to that in a sense. Later in his life, he had gone to keeping up only a single photo of his father, storing away an old family photo he had of the man in his drawers. Sometimes, he would pull it out when either he wanted to or when Susan would ask him about it and other times, he would leave it there and occasionally sweep the dust off it when he did clean the drawers. “That is a part of the grieving process — trying to move forward and forge new, happy memories while storing away the old, sad ones.” He grabbed her hand gently, reassuringly, in such a comforting way she felt her heart skip a beat. “But I just don't want you to bottle up these types of things and pass it off like everything is fine. It makes me worry about you. I want to make sure you are alright, happy and content and that nothing is bothering you.”

“I know you do,” she replied, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “But I am fine now. Everything is fine and you don’t have to worry about me.” She smiled reassuringly at him and leaned over, hugging him. “I’m glad you thought of me and cared though, I really am. It means a lot.”

His face flushed red. She was too warm against him but feeling her forehead on his shoulder and her steady calm breathing, he couldn't help but wrap both arms over her back, slow and careful so that she would know it was coming. She didn't try to pull away. He held as still as he could, even though his heart was doing its level best to backflip right out of his body. When he looked down at her face, she seemed so peaceful.

He felt reassured as though it was, at least _tentatively_ , okay after all.

After a while of hugging, they both pulled away and resumed drinking some tea, even taking a bite out of the treats she had prepared. “Mmmh, what a delightful desert!” Lionel commented as he took a bite out of a buñuelo. “What is it called?”

“A buñuelo,” Adelina answered. “In Colombia, they’re delicious dough balls but in Mexico, they’re sweet tortillas.” 

Lionel took another bite, savoring the sugary taste. “Sweet indeed. You know, you're a very good cook.”

Adelina laughed, waving her hand playfully at him. “Oh quit it~!”

“It's true!”

“Nuh-uh!”

“ _Uh-huh_!”

She playfully shoved him. “Hush!”

He nearly fell back in his seat, but just chuckled. “How can I when I'm the guest of such a astounding hostess?”

“Oh, Lionel...”

At this point, Ricardo was walking through the hallway, coming in to check up on Señora Adelina when he heard her giggling along with laughing from that British man. He quickly peeked into the study and saw the two talking, laughing and generally having a good time. It was quite a surprise to see, considering how the previous visit from the British man had gone with him being a total idiota... but also due to how _happy_ Señora was. She seemed so genuinely happily as she talked and laughed with the man, so at _peace_. He had seen her happy before but never  _this_ happy, never as bright and joyous, never as exuberant... yet here she was now, so pleasant with this British man and —

_Wait._

Señora usually didn't have guests and didn't even really seem to have a favorable few of most of the folks in town — not that he could blame her, though. Most of the folks in town couldn't keep their mouths shut and judged too easily. Still, she never had people come over...until now with a man who _stole_ a map from her, a man who _broke her window_. Somehow, this man was her first visitor in god knows how long which meant that during that journey she went off on while poor old Ricardo was left to clean up the mess, something happened between the two — something that made her forgive the British man and start acting so friendly with him, too friendly for her butler's tastes. For heaven's sake, in the study, she was all giddy and blushing and...  _oh_. Oh  _no._

"No, god no," Ricardo whispered, shaking his head quickly as it began clicking. " _Please_   _no._ " He was seeing some signs and they weren't pretty. The blushing, the giggling, the laughing — he was an aging man, old enough to be Señora's father, but him being old didn't mean he was blind. It was so obvious: she was in  _love,_ and not just with any man but _the dumb British man._ Of course. _Of course_ she had to fall in love with someone who put a hole in her window.

Once the man would leave, he'd be left to deal with a lovesick Señora.  _God please, I am too old for this,_  the butler screamed internally. Why was he always left to deal with these sort of things? And why, oh god why, did Señora have to fall for  _this_ _man_? 

* * *

Lionel looked at Adelina with soft eyes as he stood outside on the porch of her home. “Thank you for having me over,” he said. “It has been a wonderful visit.”

Like always, a small smile graced Adelina’s lips as she stood in the doorway. “And thank you for coming over,” she replied. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a visitor and you have been such a wonderful friend and guest. I hope we can do this sort of thing again very soon.”

“Likewise,” he agreed. “We’ve been sticking to letters and adventures that perhaps, we should start scheduling more get-togethers like this in the future.”

“Of course, it would be my greatest pleasure to have the great Sir Lionel Frost over again at mi casa,” said Adelina, a bit teasingly. “Do you have any plans for the following week?” 

“This weekend, I had planned a trip to China for the three of us — you, Susan and I,” Lionel told her. “A search for a creature known in Chinese mythology as Nián shòu.” 

“Then maybe after this trip to China, we could have another 'tea party'?” Adelina suggested to him. “Susan could come over this time. It'll be so much fun.” 

He thought over it. He liked that idea — just him, his love and his friend all gathered for tea and talk. That sounded very nice indeed. “Why not? Sounds good to me.”

“Then we shall have a nice tea party once we're done with our trip in China.” She clapped her hands together eagerly, letting out a small squeal. “I can't wait! As for the trip, I'll come over soon as I can.”

He gave her a warm smile. He always loved seeing her happy, so joyful. It suited her very well. “I will tell Susan about it then, but in the meantime I bid you farewell and a lovely day.” He took her hand into his and gave it a final kiss for that day. “Until we see each other again, my fair lady.”

She pulled him into another hug after the hand kiss, then gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Until then, mi amigo.”

Lionel was completely speechless from the kiss this beautiful woman left on his cheek, but tried to keep his cool by giving her a nod and a smile before walking away. Once he was out of her sight, he put his hand to his cheek and let out a joyful cry. _She kissed his cheek._ She had to like him, she just had to. His hopes were so high that whatever doubt was in him was gone because there was proof she at least  _liked him,_ if not still loved him.

Meanwhile with Adelina, she had watched as he left before letting out a loving sigh. Lionel was such a gentleman, such a dreamboat that she couldn't help herself. She had to kiss his cheek at the very least, not because she was letting her guard down. No, no, she was still very much keeping it up, it was just that it was her way of saying 'thanks' for everything, that was all. Nothing else was going on, not at all.

Or at least, that was what she told herself.

While she fawned over her friend, old Ricardo Sosa was watching her from the entrance hall and shaking his head. That woman was getting herself into the deep quicksand known as love and unfortunately, it looked as though this wouldn't be the first time nor the last he'd see her like this.

He would just have to learn to accept it though since it was clear as day that Adelina Fortnight was in falling love and the man she was happening to fall in love with was Sir Lionel Frost, and obviously this love wouldn't go away. It would only grow more and more until one of them stepped forward. When they would do that though, Ricardo had no clue. All he knew was that he would have to buy more teabags for the next tea party. Lots and lots of teabags. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and happy early thanksgiving to you all! I hope you have a great day and may joy be with y'all.


	10. i should be over all the butterflies but i'm into you (i'm into you)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Let 'em wonder how we got this far,_  
>  _'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all_  
>  _Yeah after all this time_  
>  _I'm still into you_  
>  – Paramore, "Still into you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the uber late update. it's just that holidays, y'know? also merry late christmas to those who celebrate it! enjoy this chapter.

A few days passed since the tea party and soon came the weekend, the time for the trio to embark on their next adventure together. Like all the other times prior, Adelina was the one to leave her home to go to Lionel’s place, to bid her farewell to her two friends there. 

“Adios, Paca,” Adelina said to her parakeet, stroking the feathers on the bird’s head. “Promise me you’ll be a buena niña when I’m gone, okay?” 

The bird chirped and Adelina chuckled. “Good girl.” She then went over to her butler. “And Ricardo?”

“¿Si, señora?” asked the butler.

“I will be back in a few days. Until then, take good care of Paca while I’m gone,” Adelina told him. “Make sure she’s well-fed and that her cage is cleaned, and that she gets let out once in a while. Also, make sure the place isn’t a mess when I get back.”

“Of course, señora,” said the butler, nodding. “This place will be clean and tidy, and Paca will be well off by the time you come back.”

“Good. Gracias, Ricardo,” Adelina thanked the old man. “Adios.” She left for the door, taking two bags with her and leaving her casa. 

When she was past the gates of her estate, she looked back for a moment. To think that three years ago, she had been cooped up there… and now she was going to travel with her two dearest, closest friends in the entire world. Life was weird sometimes, but weird was good in this case. Very good.

She walked away from her estate, into the little city of Santa Ana. Walking out into town in Santa Ana wasn’t usually much of a fun experience. People loved to stare at her, judge her for every little aspect of herself and her life and talk about what a _señorita extraña_ she was. Whenever walked through the streets, she could hear their thoughts and it wasn’t any different now than it had been back then. 

A recluse trying to slide out into the world. 

A woman with temper, attitude, bite and bitterness. 

The weird widow who was a friend of the odd Englishman who went out looking for false myths and legends, a friend of the fabled sasquatch.

Adelina tried to hold back a scowl, but it was hard to. How dare they hold such judgmental thoughts about her and Lionel when they hardly even knew them? They knew nothing about what she had to go through, nothing about her life. They knew nothing about what Lionel went through either or his own life. They knew not a single thing, only going off what they saw rather than looking further. Then again, it wasn't like she wanted them to look _too_ deep. She didn’t want them to find out too much of their expeditions, the kind of relationship she had with Lionel and all that. That was her business and hers alone. They shouldn’t judge too much, but they also shouldn’t know too much.

Her adventures and relationship with Lionel and all the feelings that blossomed from it were sacred, little secrets she would keep. 

So she held her head up high as she walked through the streets, keeping the thought of her upcoming adventure with Lionel in mind to keep herself from paying too much mind to what the townsfolk said. Soon, she would be in the grand China with him and Susan, searching for an old creature from the grand folklore. Soon, they would be going through forests and mountains together.

Soon, it would be just _them_.

That was the only thought on Adelina's mind as she got to the train station, as she boarded the train. She was going on her fourth adventure with Lionel and Susan. They were all going to China to find Nián Shòu. It would be the three of them, just her, Lionel and Susan, having fun as they looked for this creature from Chinese folklore. They would be exploring the woods and mountains and every little inch and corner together, and there would be nothing and no one stopping them. There would be no natural disasters, no breaking bridges, no bounty hunters or optimates trying to assassinate them — it would be a peaceful adventure. Well, at least as peaceful as a search for Nián could get. 

Either way, she would be with her two most dearest friends, Susan and Lionel, and that was all that mattered.

She smiled to herself, drifting off to sleep hours into the train ride, near sunset with that one thought on her mind. It was all going to be perfect.

* * *

_The jungle of India was a beautiful place. Even as the years had passed, the beauty never faded and there were always new remarkable things to see, especially as the trio rode on the elephant's back._

_"There are so many beautiful things in the world," Adelina said as she observed the forest around her, making note of all the fauna and plants and creatures running around._

_"Yes," Lionel agreed, his eyes all on her._

_She turned to him, realizing he had meant her and giggled. He was always such a flirt, always saying she was beautiful compared to the other things surrounding them. A couple of days ago, she would have tried to ignore the compliment but now, she had to admit she found it rather sweet._

_Her eyes soon found new focus, however, on a statue nearby. "Oh, Lionel, look!" she gasped, pointing it out to him._

_His head turned to see the statue, letting out a gasp. "Remarkable!"_

_The sight of seeing this statue... it brought back memories to Adelina, fond memories of when she used to travel with Lionel throughout jungles and how they would come across old statues. She smiled and nudged him. "This is just like old times, wouldn't you say?"_

_"Hmm, yes. Yes, uh..." Lionel nodded in agreement, then his eyes shifted to Susan's sleeping form. "Although the sasquatch is new."_

_"Aw," said Adelina, looking at the sleeping sasquatch as he was snoring peacefully. He must have gotten tired after all of the walking, climbing and train rides. "He's all tuckered out."_

_"He's come a long way," Lionel commented softly, looking over Susan like he was a little brother who made such a huge achievement. It touched her, honestly._

_The sasquatch had come a long way. In fact, all of them had._

_"I think we all have," she replied, turning back to the man next to her._

_He turned back to her, surprised but soon it gave away to a small smile. She smiled back at him as her emerald eyes met his sapphire blue orbs. Their faces inched closer and closer as they were about to kiss —_

_Until Adelina saw a branch incoming and ducked, wincing when Lionel was struck by it and fell on top of Susan. "Oh!"_

_Susan woke up and hugged Lionel. "Good morning," he yawned. "Mm-mm-mm..."_

_"Oh, Lionel," Adelina giggled at the sight._

_"I say, old chap, could you loosen your grip?" Lionel asked of the sasquatch as he moved out of his grasp, climbing back onto his seat. "My, uh, arms have gone dead."_

_"So, what's going on?" Susan asked, sitting up. "Are we nearly there yet?"_

_"Almost, Susan, almost," the cryptozoologist answered. "We'll soon have you frolicking in the snow with huge, hairy ape-men, just you wait and see."_

_"Oh boy!"_

"Stopping at New York!" 

Adelina's eyes snapped wide open and she shook her head, realizing that the train had stopped at her next destination: New York. Through New York, she could board a boat to London and meet up with Lionel and Susan there. She stood up and grabbed her bags, getting off her train cart and heading for the beach, where she would locate the docks.

As she walked away from the train station to the beach, she couldn't help but think back to the memory she dreamed of. That moment in India where she had almost kissed Lionel... why had it come into her dreams? Why that moment where their lips almost met, where they almost got as intimate as they used to be? Why was that thought in her mind still?

Was it because they were going to China, where the creature they were looking for was somewhere hidden between the massive forests and the mountains? Or was it because a part of her wanted to continue to reminisce on that moment and what almost happened? It would explain why she could feel her heart pounding, her hands getting clammy as she carried her things and her cheeks hot.

She shook her head. No, it must have been just a random dream, that's all. Nothing to do with any of that... or at least, she told herself that.

(Truth be told, there were times where she  _did_ think about that moment in India where Lionel almost kissed her. There were times where she thought about it and wondered. 

Had he been speaking from the bottom of his heart when he called her beautiful? Had he nearly touched his lips to hers because he wanted to kiss her out of love, out of his passion towards her? Or was it a spur of the moment, just because of the mood?

What if... what if she  _had_ kissed him? What if the branch hadn't knocked him back? What if their lips had touched? What would have happened? Would they have pulled away in awe? Would they have admitted their feelings to each other afterwards? Would it have affected her choice later on after their adventure? Would it have prompted her to kiss him on the boat at the docks of London, to have stayed? Would she -

 _Stop thinking like this,_ that snappy voice in her head screamed at her.  _Stop dwelling on this. He wasn't and still isn't_ there  _yet, so stop thinking about him like that._ And she tried, she did try not to but she couldn't help but wonder sometimes... _what if?_ )

As Adelina came to the docks, she felt knots twisting inside her stomach while waiting for the boat to lower its plank. She didn’t know why, though. She was going to be with her friends. She was going to go on an adventure with Susan and Lionel in China, which was sure to be good since she had always wanted to go to China and had heard so many wonderful little stories of the place and its folklore and mythologies. This was sure to be a fun experience with her friends, right?

Maybe, she and Lionel would even get to go on a fun ride on a panda’s back, just like they’d done on that elephant’s back three years ago in India. Maybe she, Lionel and Susan would get to climb mountains like they had in the Himalayas, only this time hopefully things wouldn’t go as wrong with them nearly dying or being imprisoned.

She smiled. Yes, this would be perfect. She could just see it now, them riding on the back of a panda, her and Lionel looking for clues… it would be just like old times, only this time Susan would be there and Lionel wouldn’t have the optimates on his mind at all. This time, her — the _good old_ Lionel was going to be there.

And there went the knots in her stomach, twisting again at the thought of the man with butterflies tickling with their wings. Why was it that when she thought about Lionel, she would get these kinds of feelings? Why did she feel like…like she was in her early thirties again, and he was kissing up her arm like he used to? Why did she feel almost as timid as she used to when they’d first gone out together?

As the plank lowered from the ship and she got on board, she silently prayed to herself that these feelings would stop nagging at her. It was really starting to get to her, making her feel so...  _weird_. A half of her had no clue why she felt like this, while another half sort of did. She knew one thing was certain though: it had something to do with Lionel.

But what?

* * *

Back at Lionel's place, he and Susan were packing everything they would need for this adventure. While Lionel had gotten everything needed packed in his bags from his camera to his coat just in case it got too cold, as the weather in China always seemed to change from a cool spring weather to a cold nearly wintery chill, his sasquatch friend seemed to be far from done packing.

"Mr. Link, _Susan_ , have you got everything all packed and ready?" the cryptozoologist asked his friend.

"Almost," replied the sasquatch as he fumbled with his items and bag. "Hold on, I still need to pack my boots—"

"Well, alright, but don't dawdle for  _too_ long," said Lionel, eyes shifting to the clock. "Adelina could come here any minute now."

 _Adelina._ His heart thumped at the thought of her. He had gone on some adventures with her already, yes, but the thought of going on a new one with her made him so happy and excited each and every time. They would be going through the forests of China, exploring mountains together to find a legendary creature. It would just be like old times when they would go through the jungles of Southern Asia and Latin America together, always spotting sights and pointing out all the little details and creatures. They would be riding on the backs of elephants or in little trolleys, always sitting next to each other and leaning on one another... sometimes, even kissing. 

Of course, those were the old times. Now, he had to do all he could during these adventures to get them back to where they used to be. He had to always hope that whatever he did worked, hope that they could get back to their little love moments between adventures... all while looking for cryptids. 

He could just picture it now: her and him in the forest on a panda's back, cuddling up and kissing... his heart fluttered at the thought. Just her and him, together, holding hands as they ventured through the world — oh, how he  _loved_ the sound of it all. He couldn't  _wait_ to go on this adventure with her...and Susan, too.

Suddenly, Lionel's thoughts were cut off as he heard a knock on the door. "Adelina," he murmured. "It must be her."

He went to go open the door and to his joy, he was right: it was Adelina, standing right at the doorway. "Hola, Lionel," she greeted him. 

"Adelina, how wonderful it is to see you!" he exclaimed happily. "I was expecting you to come here, and I'm glad you did."

"Of course," said Adelina. "I told you last time that I would get here soon as I could. How many times have I ever been unable to keep true to that?" 

"None that I can think of," Lionel replied, smiling. He stepped aside to let her in. "Come in, come in... Susan and I are just about ready to leave, though the lad's having a bit of an issue packing." 

Adelina entered the humble abode, looking around to find that it seemed all nice and tidy as usual. There were photos all over the walls, ranging from photos of famous maps and of course, cryptids to photos of which she assumed to be family members. Two photos that struck the most familial resemblance were that of a man and a woman, the man with black hair, blue eyes and an aquiline nose — almost a full resemblance of Lionel minus the fact the man seemed more on the pudgy side compared to Lionel's thin posture. The woman also had black hair, a few curls but of course, none natural and it was tied up in a neat simple bun. Her eyes were a grayish brown and her facial structure seemed all too similar to Lionel's. It was then that Adelina realized... these were Lionel's parents. 

However, that photo wasn't the only one to catch her off guard, because soon she tried to avert her gaze in order to avoid the awkward remembrance of that night at sea by looking at the wall where Lionel's main work table was. There, he had many small statues and artifacts and other pieces of evidence he had collected over the years scattered about on the table, and on the wall right in front of it was not only a picture of him and Susan... but a picture of her, too. 

A picture that looked like one of the ones she had taken just a little while after they had left the himalayas, one she had given to him so he could have something to remember her by before she went off on her own.

He had kept her photo, hung it up on the wall near his work table. He hung it near a photo of him and Susan, a photo she knew to be a very special one as it showed their newfound friendship and brotherhood.

And he put her photo right next to it.

A wave of heat rushed over her body, especially her face. She couldn't believe it. _He kept her photo._ After all this time, he kept it, right near another photo that was obviously important to him, which meant that hers was just as important. _She_ was just as important.

But before Adelina could say anything, ask Lionel about the photo, she heard a squeaking noise followed by a  _click!_ She and Lionel turned to see that Susan's suitcase was now closed.

"Phew!" The sasquatch wiped sweat off his brow. "Okay, now I'm ready!"

"Wonderful!" said Lionel, picking up his own case. He turned to Adelina. "Are you ready, my dear?"

Adelina thought of mentioning the photo, even thought about mentioning her dream, but decided not to. Now was not the time to bring those things up. Now was the time for a fun adventure with her two closest friends, so she smiled at him, nodded and said, "I'm always ready."

He beamed at her. "Then let us be off!" he exclaimed, racing ahead.

"Oye, slow down, Lionel!" she laughed and ran after him.

"Wait for me, guys!" Susan cried out as he tried to catch up with them.

Hearing the man and woman giggle, the sasquatch wondered more and more about their dynamic. Maybe it wasn't  _just_ two friends, with the omega friend trying to court his alpha... maybe there was more to it than that. What it was though? Only time could tell, and time couldn't move any faster.


	11. and how can i stand here with you and not be moved by you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Would you tell me_  
>  _"How could it be any better than this?"_  
>  _And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you_  
>  _Would you tell me how could it be any better than this_  
>  _Cause you're all I want, you're all I need_  
>  _You're everything, everything_  
>  _You're all I want_  
>  _You're all I need_  
>  _You're everything, everything_  
>  – "Everything" by Lifehouse.
> 
> In which the trio's in China and there's floof.

The bamboo forests remote, mountainous regions in central China were more grand than either Lionel or Adelina could have ever imagined. With all the large, vast trees growing around and all of the creatures, such as the pandas thirteen thousand feet high up in the bamboo trees to feed upon the higher slopes, it looked like a green sino-paradise.

Susan was busy waving at all the creatures and greeting them. “Hey, how are you doing?” he cried out to some pandas up in the trees. “You doing good? Yeah? That’s great! I’m doing good, too! We’re on an adventure, you know, looking for a Nián? You seen one?” 

"Uh, Susan," started Lionel, awkwardly watching as his friend tried talking with the pandas. "I believe these pandas are rather busy with eating their bamboo—"

"But maybe they have clues to finding the Nián!" Susan cut him off, trying to reason. "I mean, it lives in the mountains, they live near the mountains — they gotta know  _something_!" He looked up at the pandas. "Don't you?!"

Lionel shook his head while Adelina stood by and giggled. “Same old Susan, innocent as ever,” she said. 

“Indeed,” Lionel agreed. “Even after years, he maintains this different view of the world… it is unique, especially through his, er, communications.” He let out a sigh and shrugged. “But that’s just how he is, I suppose.”

"Sí, it's how he is." Adelina smiled softly, then looked around the woods and let out a happy sigh. "Isn't it all fantastic?"

"Yes," Lionel replied, looking around. "Such a vast, grand area."

Adelina kept looking around, amazed by the sights before her. Such grand trees, such grand creatures — such grand land within a grand country. She had always dreamed of coming to China, it being one of the places she wanted to visit so badly — right after her mother's homeland, the Dominican Republic; a place her maternal grandparents had left just two years prior to her parents meeting and her eldest brother's birth — and now, here she was. It was somehow more beautiful than she had pictured it to be, more beautiful than she had seen from photographs and paintings. It was even more beautiful than the jungle the trio had gone through in India. 

This was further proven when she spotted some paths she hadn't noticed before. Two little roads down the forest, ahead to what appeared to be a part of the mountains. "Oh Lionel,  _mira_!" 

He looked at where she was pointing to. "Huh? I didn't notice those before—" but before he could finish, the woman had ran off down along the path, no doubt eager to explore. "Adelina!" He ran after her as she went down the path, ahead to a part of the mountains — a rocky tunnel.

She walked through the tunnels, looking around amazed as she saw jewels and gorgeous carvings decorating the walls. One carving was that of a female warrior riding to her home village on a horse, while another was of an emperor and his empress. The jewels on the walls varied from all sorts of gems — diamonds, quartzes, even rubies and sapphires. "Wow..."

"Adelina, why did you — _whoa_ ," Lionel gasped as he looked around the tunnels, saw all the beautiful things surrounding them. The jewels illuminated the lights within the dark cave, shining upon Adelina especially, her jade eyes glowing in the dark along with them. The paintings were drawn so well, like a masterpiece one would find in an art gallery. "Incredible!"

Adelina bent down, picking up a piece of a diamond. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked her friend as she stood up, holding it out. 

"Yes, it is," Lionel agreed with a nod. To him, though, the most beautiful thing there was  _her_. Nothing else could compare to the beauty and radiance she had. 

Not even the richest sights he had seen could compare to her. Nothing could. She was the fairest of them all. 

"How could it be any better than this?" she asked with a gesture all around the tunnels. 

 _You, my dear,_ he thought to himself, but didn't say his response aloud. He would be taking an overstep if he did, and he didn't want to do that. She was all that he wanted, all that he needed, everything, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes this time...even if it meant keeping his mouth shut.

"Hey, guys!" 

The two turned and saw their sasquatch friend running into the tunnels. "There you are!" he panted as he caught up. "After the pandas kept pulling the silent card, I turned around and all of a sudden you two were gone! So I followed the tracks and found you guys here and— woah, it's _beautiful_!"

Ah, Susan — the cheerful lad who could always manage to brighten an already good mood, or rid the atmosphere of romantic tension, or even both in this case. Both Lionel and Adelina couldn't help but smile at their friend, letting out their little laughs before apologizing.

"Perdonamé, Susan."

"We didn't mean to leave you behind." 

"I just saw this hidden path and had to explore it."

"And I had to follow her."

"Surely, you understand, ¿sí?"

Susan looked between them, raising an eyebrow. "You guys are being weird," he remarked, although 'weird' was putting it too lightly. No, no, the alpha and beta of this trio were acting more than just strange, they were _bonkers_. Obviously, yes, the beta had to follow the alpha, but the way they were acting around each other...these two were up to something, and he had a feeling that if he hadn't come in then things would have gotten even more odd. 

Though a part of him wondered...how odd  _could_ it get, especially if the beta Lionel managed to woo the headstrong alpha Adelina? Would they be a delirious type of happy and weird? He was curious now, but he shook that off his mind and focused on the present, putting the thoughts aside for later. 

"Oh nonsense, we're hardly being weird at all," Lionel said, brushing off Susan's comment with a nervous laugh. The sasquatch knew what was up, but there was no way the man would let his dearest catch on, not yet. "We are being perfectly normal, having just a bit of fun. Isn't that right, Adelina?"

"Sí, perfectly normal fun," Adelina agreed with a nod. However, she couldn't help but wonder what Susan meant by  _you guys are acting weird_. How were they being weird? All they were doing was gazing at the beautiful things within the tunnels... though, she had to admit that looking back on the fact that they'd been alone in the tunnels for even just a few minutes almost made her blush. She recalled the last time, during the old days, when they'd been alone in a rocky cave together near the Swiss alps and in a moment of heat, they had kissed and then kissing turned to cuddling and then — 

 _What the_ hell, _Adelina,_ her mind screamed at her.  _Why are you thinking of_ that  _now?! This is not the right time to be remembering how you two slept together when you're currently in a tunnel together with your_ _other friend!_ And yet, the memory came anyhow and oh, how her face flushed a deep mahogany, enough for her two friends to notice.

"Adelina, are you okay?" asked Susan, a tad bit concerned. "Your face is flushing."

"Oh! I-is it?" 

"Yeah, it's kinda darker than usual, or at least looks like that with the light on it."

"O-oh..." Adelina looked at the ground, unsure of what to say. She then glanced at Lionel, who gave her a curious look. She quickly looked away from him, feeling her face heat up even more. "Uh, anyway," she cleared her throat awkwardly, quickly changing the subject. "Perhaps we can use the tunnels as a way of finding the Nian."

"That's a brilliant idea, my dear," Lionel praised her eagerly. "Through the tunnels, we can try getting near the corner of the mountains where it resides. There, we can find the beast and hopefully, tame it and snag some proof." 

"G-gracias," stammered Adelina, feeling her face flush even deeper. Why was it that she was feeling like this? So...odd? Was it Lionel's praise? Was it the way he spoke? She didn't know. All she knew was that maybe Susan was right. Maybe at least _one_ of them was being weird.

But why?

She didn't know and frankly, had no clue if she would ever find out why. The woman tried to leave these thoughts behind as she followed her friend through the tunnels, often trying to avoid thinking of how this reminded her so much of the old times, though it was hard.

All while Susan watched and knew something was going on, and it had to do with the slow mating ritual. He wondered why it was taking such twists and turns like this, why the alpha Adelina was now the shy one, but alas, he supposed that sometimes the roles had to reverse.

Even if it was strange.

* * *

It took a while of trekking through the tunnels, but they finally managed to reach the part of the mountains where it was believed that the Nian resided.

“This is it,” Lionel said, so certain, so sure.

“But Lionel, how do we bring it out?” asked Adelina curiously.

“That, my dear, is rather simple actually,” he replied. He reached into one of his pockets, bringing out a small bag. “You see, as we were making our way through the villages to here, I purchased a bag of fish. With this bag of fish, we will lure in the creature.”

Both Adelina and Susan took a whiff of the bag, with the woman letting out an “ah” followed by a nod while the bigfoot gagged. “But it smells,” Susan said. “I don’t think it will like the smell.”

“Nonsense! All beasts love fish,” Lionel rebutted. “Well, at least those with sharp teeth.” Carefully, he opened the bag and started placing down the fish in a little trail, then rushed back into the tunnels and hid off to the side. “Come, come! We wait for the beast to arrive… then we shall have proof.”

Susan and Adelina looked at each other, then both shrugged and followed their friend, standing behind him as they waited for the Nian to come out from its hiding place.

“I don’t know, what if this doesn’t work?”

“It _will_ work, Susan, just wait and see.”

“Pero, ¿y si trata de atacarnos?”

“Hopefully, it won’t…”

Surely enough, the beast did emerge from its hiding place from the bottom of the mountains. Instead of going on the usual rampage of wreaking havoc on villages nearby, it smelled the scent of fish and began following it up the mountain, up until it got to the place near the tunnels where the trail of sardines was. It looked around, then began eating the fish one by one. 

“It worked,” Lionel gasped.

“I can’t believe it,” murmured Adelina in excitement.

“Wow,” was all Susan could say. 

Lionel carefully brought his camera out from another pocket, much to the surprise of his friends. "How do you keep that thing on you?" Adelina asked him.

The man shrugged. "Instinct." Then, he positioned the camera and put it on closeup of the beast as it was taking a bite of the last fish. "Alright, now... say cheese." The creature threw the fish up in the air and the seafood landed in its mouth. "Eh, I'll allow it." Lionel took the picture and smiled as he grabbed the photo. "Haha! A job well done, if I do say so myself!"

Suddenly, the three heard a growl. They all turned to see the beast slowly creeping towards them, fangs bared. 

"...did I speak too soon?"

The beast roared. The trio screamed and began running, with Lionel quickly shoving the photo and camera back into his pockets as he and his friends ran away.

"Why is it that whenever you are so confident that everything will be fine, the beasts try attacking?!" Adelina shrieked at Lionel.

"I don't know, maybe the world likes striking bad luck down upon us sometimes!" he yelled back.

She groaned. "You're lucky I like you, Sir Lionel Frost!"

If he could, he would have stopped right there just as his heart had nearly stopped, before skipping a beat. "I-indeed I am," he agreed as they kept on running, far from the Nian who chased them.

Indeed, he was so lucky she liked him. Hopefully, _more_ than that, even if he did get them into trouble sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I wanted this chapter to be bigger but then my ideas just trailed off into this so uh, yeah. Plus I've recently come down with a cold so I kinda wanna get this out soon as possible so I can just rest, okay? Okay. Cya next time, hopefully when my cold is over.
> 
> Oh, and happy super late new year!


	12. you have taken over my days (so tonight i'm going out)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Yet I'm feeling like_  
>  _There is no better place than tonight by your side_  
>  _I had a little taste_  
>  _And I'll only spoil the party anyway_  
>  _'Cause all the girls are looking fine_  
>  _But you're the only one on my mind_  
>  – "La Da Dee" by Cody Simpson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, it's almost the end of the month yet I only finished this now. I'm so sorry! The beginning of the month kind of started this weird procrastination cycle for me but thankfully, I managed to finish this. Hope it's satisfying for y'all. Have a good night and day~

“I dunno, Lionel… are you sure she’s not still mad over us breaking into her home and stealing the map?”

“Oh do buck up, Mr. Link.” Lionel elbowed Susan playfully. “If she was, don’t you think she would have given us the silent treatment instead of writing to us for three years and deciding to join us on the third? Much less invite us for tea prior to our adventure in China, for that matter.”

“I guess so,” the sasquatch murmured. “Though I’m pretty sure she only wrote letters to you?”

“Indeed, she did,” said the cryptozoologist with a dreamy sigh. 

The street they were walking down was different than it had been when Lionel had gone there by himself. It was more wide and quiet, with the other residents of Santa Ana seemingly busy with some party in town, leaving only shopkeepers around with their exotic flowers freshening the air with their fine aroma. The sun above was as pleasant as a warm Easter morning.

“I’ve only been around this area once, Lionel,” Susan said, fiddling with his hands. “The _last time_ we were here, I had to wait outside her study and try talking to her butler and let me tell you, that guy’s _waaaaay_ too quiet. He just kept staring at me every time I tried starting a conversation, even when it was with simple questions like ‘do you shed?’ So this time, I’m hoping I can stay in the study and talk with you guys.”

“No need to worry, Susan. I can assure you that we will be having very nice, productive conversations over some tea,” Lionel assured the sasquatch. “No need to wait outside and talk to some grumpy old butler the size of a stool ladder.”

“Oh, okay then. Good, that’s good to hear,” said Susan, easing up now. “So do you think Adelina sheds?”

“No, Susan. Humans don’t shed. Our hairs may fall out and our skin may roughen, scrape or bruise but we never shed.”

“Ohhh. I thought humans shed like bigfoot did… guess not.”

Lionel chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets in order to hide the way they shook slightly. Small talk was great, very distracting. Susan was right, too. The last time the both of them had visited Adelina, it was only he who had gone into her study while the sasquatch had stayed outside, alone to chat with the butler, who didn’t appear to be a very social man if the shotgun he brought when they broke in or the way he reacted when Lionel later came to visit were any clue. It was only fair that Susan also got to have a nice visit and conversation with Adelina in her study along with a cup of tea or two, just as Lionel did. They were all friends, after all.

Not that Sir Frost wanted to stay _just_ friends with Madame Fortnight. This visit was another one of those steps he would take to getting past that point, moving to the point that was a special place in her heart… as her _amor._

He only hoped Susan would be a bit of a help, a good anchor between them. Hopefully, things wouldn’t get awkward.

* * *

When they finally came near Casa de Fortnight, Lionel stepped up to the door and went to knock on it. 

"You think she'll answer?" asked Susan.

"I hope so," murmured Lionel, tapping his feet as he began to wait.

In a few seconds, the two heard a voice coming up to the door. “Hola, who is…” The door opened, revealing Ricardo on the other side, who stopped mid-sentence once he saw who it was at the door. “Oh, _you again_.”

“Uh, yes,” said Lionel awkwardly, while Susan got behind him and tried to hide despite his size. “Yes, it’s me again.”

“Hi,” his sasquatch friend murmured, waving nervously. “How’re you doing? Have you shed? Wait, no, I mean—”

“Why must señora keep inviting the ones who put a hole through her window over?” the butler interrupted, letting out a sigh as he shook his head. “Ay, ay, _ay_ …”

Lionel rolled his eyes in frustration. Was the butler ever going to let go of this grudge? It had been three years ago, for pity's sake! “Look, I'm sorry for the breaking and entering and the broken window, okay? But it's been _three_ _years_ ,” he stressed on the last two words. “Three years since I broke in and your señora has forgiven me for my past errors, so why can't you?”

Ricardo tried to object and say something, but he couldn't. Nothing came out of his mouth. He instead just glared, huffed and slammed the door shut. 

Lionel sighed in exasperation at this. Of course he should have expected the butler to get angry again. Of course he should have expected the butler to object to a second visit.  _Of course_ he should have expected the door to be slammed shut in his face,  _of bloody course_.

“Uhh, was that supposed to happen?” Susan asked, looking at the door, then at his friend.

“No, it wasn’t,” Lionel muttered, sighing and shaking his head. “But I suppose I should have expected it. After all, I did knock him out with that lantern… _still._ ” He looked at the door, raising his hand to knock on it again. If Ricardo wouldn’t open the door, then it had to be Adelina. She was the one who planned this visit, after all. She had to answer the door if he knocked, she _had to._

He nervously swallowed. His brain was making calculations of how fast his heart would beat if she opened the door, because he could never get enough of how wonderful she was and every time, she always seemed to put him under this blissful daze. 

“Um, are you going to knock or...?” Susan asked, drawling the last word.

“I’ll do it,” said Lionel, staring hard at the doorknob. 

He raised his hand to knock once more, feeling like he was a mime pushing past hidden barriers. He _had_ to do this, he _could_ do this. He could knock on the door, take in her beauty, go inside and try to continue courting her like he had done so many times before. He could break past the barriers to her heart. 

He rapped his knuckles against the door, giving it a hard knock. He wasn't going to be corrected on his knocking by Susan, not like the last time he tried when he was attempting to get the map from her.

(His hands had gotten clammy that time, shaking with anxiousness as he’d knocked on the door quietly. He had been nervous, surprisingly. Perhaps it was the reminder that he lost her only two years ago that was fresh in his mind at the time, to a friend who he once almost considered to be like a brother to him no less. Perhaps it was the fact that a part of him knew it was his fault even then, for focusing so much on joining that damned club to stop and be there for her when she needed him the most. Perhaps it was all the fresh wounds from watching her move on from him, from the feelings of betrayal that forced him to skip the funeral, from severing their bond to the point where it was nearly beyond repair until she joined him on the journey, made him see the light and realize how it was he who drove people away yet wondered why he was alone —

Perhaps it was all of that and the fear of mucking things up, even then when he was still like that. Even then, he had the conscience.

He only wished it spoke to him sooner, before he lost her.)

Now, they were on better terms though. Now, he had a chance of winning her back. He only had to take that chance and seize it. 

A long moment seemed to pass by, a pounding in his heart nearly catching him off guard as he listened intently, focusing on sound.

“Well,” Susan spoke after one minute passed. “You tried. Maybe we could visit some other time—”

“ _No._ ” Lionel squeezed his eyes shut tightly, gut twisting and turning as he faintly heard footsteps inside along with some hushed words. “She’s coming, I hear her.”

He could be suave, strike up a good conversation with her and let it flow nicely. Things between them were better now. He could make it work.

The door swung open, revealing the lavish inside of the splendid mansion.

“Susan, Lionel!”

Lionel stared. He felt like he had been slapped across the face with her divinity. It felt like a dream, a hallucination. Adelina was at the door, looking at him and Susan with this smile on her face.

She was _beautiful_. She looked almost the same as she had when they met, but even _more_ gorgeous.

Her emerald eyes lit up with joy. Her ebony hair was free, left untamed in its natural curls, just like it had been the first time he met her...yet even more liberated somehow. It was the kind of hair he wished to run his fingers through. She wore such a beautiful dress, a gown blue as the sky with white frills to it. 

“You’re both here,” she said happily. “I’m so glad!”

“Indeed, we are,” Lionel said, a bit of awe in his voice. He took a step forward, only to stop himself from getting carried away. In the million dreams he had of her, this would be a moment where he would sweep her into his arms, kiss her and they would finally be together at last. He would tell her how much he loved her and missed her, and she would profess the same thing to him and then —

Then reality hit him. Not now, not when there was a long way to go.

“I’m sorry for how Ricardo acted back there,” Adelina apologized, her eyes shifted from Lionel to Susan and then back to Lionel frequently. She couldn’t take her eyes off the Englishman in front of her, even for longer than a minute or two. “He’s still bitter… I told him to let you in, but it appears he can’t let go of a grudge, so I quickly finished up the rest of the preparations and came to open the door. Again, I’m sorry. I wanted you two to come over and I should’ve known he would do something like this—”

“No, no, you needn’t apologize,” Lionel said quickly. “It is not your fault that he holds grudges like that. Susan and I both know you invited us over with the intent of fun and only fun. Isn’t that right, Mr. Link?”

Susan nodded. “Yeah, it’s all good! That was just a minor setback, nothing big.” 

Adelina held her hand out for them to shake. "It's so nice to have you over again, Lionel."

"It's a pleasure to be here again," said Lionel as he shook her hand, wishing he could continue to hold onto it longer. He kissed it gently. "Might I say you look ravishing this fine day?"

She blushed. "Oh, stop it~ I just went with a casual look, that's all."

"A gorgeously casual one," he purred, kissing her hand again.

She giggled as he let go of her hand. "I see some of the same old Lionel is here."

"Some of him. Do you mind it?"

"No, not at all~"

Susan looked between his friends, staring at them as they conversed. They were like birds in the spring, all twitterpatted. It seemed the beta was already luring the alpha in with his charms, and she was falling for him surprisingly...to the point where the bigfoot had to speak up so he could get a hand shake. " _Ahem_ ," he cleared his throat.

"Oh!" Adelina quickly shook Susan's hand. "It's good to have you over here too, Susan."

"Same, uh, even if I technically was here before," Susan said, awkwardly recalling the first visit. "Though I stood outside with the butler and uh, he's not really much of a talker. We didn't have tea either, which reminds me: what kind of tea are we having today? 'Cause Lionel usually makes Earl Grey and I'd like something different today, like green tea or something."

"I'm making traditional tea, the kind from my old home in Mexico," Adelina told him. "Very sweet and delicious. Does that sound good?"

Susan smiled and nodded. "Yep, sounds great!" 

She stepped aside and waved for her friends to come in. "Entonces entra!"

"Your place is a lot more grand than I remember it being," Susan said as they stepped into her home. "This place has gotten a lot less gloomy than last time. Good to be here again after hearing Lionel talk so much about this place, and you in general."

"Good things, I hope," said Adelina with a smile. "Follow me to the study. I've got tea and sweets prepared."

"Oh yeah, plenty of good things!" Susan said, nudging Lionel as they followed Adelina down the hallway.

Lionel blushed but tried to keep his cool and cleared his throat. "Adelina, might I say you've shaped this place up to be absolutely stunning? Especially the decor."

"Why thank you, Lionel," Adelina thanked him. "I try my best to make the place look as good as possible."

"And you always do," Lionel replied. "Even on a gloomy day, you could light up a whole town." And he meant every word of what he said. If it were ever a sorrowful time, she could make everything better by just being there. The idea of her was one of the many things that kept him going, after all.

Adelina looked back at him, quiet for a moment until she softly said, "You too."

He wondered if she meant that. He wondered if she ever thought of him during hard times and that was one of the many thoughts in her mind that kept her going, that he was one of the reasons she kept going in life. He wondered if the memories of their old times together were what made her come running, memories of when they would hold each other and kiss each other, when they would tell each other  _I love you_ and it meant everything in the world. 

Judging by the way she'd said that, she might have.

He wondered if she still held the thought of him near and dear to her as he did.

“It’s so good to have you two over on such a nice day,” said Adelina as they finally came into the study. “I hope you like cinnamon cookies.” 

“Ooh, cinnamon cookies! I love cinnamon _and_ cookies!” Susan said cheerfully, excited as they came and sat down at a table in their seats, three cups of tea and a plate of cinnamon cookies sitting atop the table. The sasquatch eagerly took one and began munching on the treat. “ _Mmmm,_ so good!”

“Baking fine goods is her specialty,” Lionel said, leaning back in his seat while taking a cookie. Adelina was pouring tea into each of their cups as he said, “She’s from Mexico and over there, they have a fine cuisine ranging from hot spicy delicacies to sweet desserts. This cultural background adds a nice, everlasting flavor.”

She blushed. "Gracias," she thanked him while adding a lump of sugar to each cup of tea. "A bit of homemade sweets is perfect for this fine day, or any day in general, really." 

Lionel watched as she swirled the sugar inside of the cups, the part he once did when they had their own tea parties, when it was just the two of them. He didn't miss the way she would glance at him as she did it, either. Once the sugar had blended into the tea, she passed out two of the cups while taking the third for herself.

Their fingers brushed as she gave him his cup. Both looked away from each other, blushing furiously and laughing nervously as they quickly leaned back in their seats.

"So, Susan, how is life like with Lionel?" Adelina asked, clearing her throat awkwardly, the same manner she had when asking if they could try Gamu's tea three years ago. "Has he been treating you right? He better be great!" there was a hint of amusement and teasing in her tone, one that Lionel recognized all too well.

"It's been great," Susan said happily. "I'm not lonely anymore, 'cause he's one of the greatest friends I've had...besides you, of course. We went on a lot of adventures, though you probably already knew that from what he wrote in those letters but still, it was a lot of fun! We got to see Nessie again, actually, just a while before you came back."

"Really?" Adelina asked, eyebrow raised as she looked over at Lionel. "You never told me that."

Lionel felt some sweat gather up. "I — I didn't think I had to," he said, not too defensively, but rather in a way of trying to get his side across. "It wasn't a successful time, just not as backfired as it had been with Mr. Lint." 

She tilted her head. "Huh?"

Susan quickly jumped in to explain before Lionel could, "Nessie dragged the boat all around the lake like a sped-up cruise ship, until we crashed into land...and the photo was lost in the lake."

"Oh." Adelina saw the look on Lionel's face now: embarrassed, ashamed. "Hey," she said softly, leaning over to put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. We can't always win."

"I know that," Lionel murmured. "I... I remembered how many times I failed before, when I was all alone and I remember all the times I was mocked after and — I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders. "It...gets to me. I'm not accustomed to failure. I'm used to it, yes, but not—" he stopped and sighed. "I can't deal with it."

"Failure is only a part of the experience," Adelina told him. "We all mess up, make mistakes... but it helps us learn and grow afterward. You might've not had any luck with Nessie yet, but one day you will." She rubbed his shoulder, giving him a confident smile. "And when you do, you will go down in history as the great man you are."

A smile made its way across his features. He needed to hear those words, only wishing he'd heard them sooner. He placed his hand on hers and whispered, "Thank you."

"Of course. It's what amigos are for."

They both just looked at each other, smiling for that moment. How lucky they were to have each other, supporting anchors, shoulders to lean on...they were the best thing to have ever happened to one another.

Susan stared awkwardly between the two. _Why are humans like this?_ he wondered. Then, he shrugged. Oh well, he supposed that was how they were sometimes. He took a cookie and bit into it, savoring the taste. "MMMM! This is so good!" he said through a mouthful, interrupting their moment and making them turn to him. "Adelina, what's the recipe you have for these? I gotta know!"

“Oh, uh, thank you, Susan,” Adelina said awkwardly as she turned to the sasquatch, pulling her hand away from Lionel. “I — I can fetch a copied paper of recipe I wrote down, if you want?”

“Sure, sounds great!”

“Great! I’ll, um, go get it then.” With that, Adelina quickly got up and left the study, heading to the kitchen. 

Lionel quickly got up. “I’m going to the kitchen, too,” he said to Susan. “Stay here and uh…wait.” He then hurried out of the room to the kitchen, the words of his friend leaving his mind as he looked for Adelina.

Soon, he came to a stop by the entrance of the kitchen as he saw her pulling out a slip of paper. He entered the kitchen and started approaching her from behind. “Ad-Adelina?”

She yelped at this and stumbled back, nearly tripping and falling to the floor. Thankfully, he caught her in his arms before her body hit the ground. “L-Lionel! You scared me, _idiota_!” she exclaimed.

“My apologies,” Lionel said. “I… I was just wondering if err, I could…” he found himself stumbling over his words. Really, he had followed her out of impulse. He was so used to these types of scenarios, with them being alone together. He missed them, honestly. “…have the recipe since I'm the one who cooks?” Mentally, he slapped himself upside the forehead. God, why was he acting like this? He was supposed to sweep her off her feet! 

Well, he did  _sort of_ do that.

_Still._

“Um, sure,” Adelina said slowly, feeling as though that wasn’t the reason he followed her for. He seemed to be hiding a lot from her, but what? Heaven knew what it was… all she knew was that right now, being in his arms made her face heat up so hot that she felt like a kettle on a stove ready to sound off. 

“Err, let me help you,” he said, aiding her in getting back up on her feet. Their arms were still around each other as she finally stood up, and they both blushed harder than ever. 

“G-gracias,” she murmured, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Are you alright?” he asked her. “I'm sorry for startling you, I did not mean to—”

“I’m fine,” she said. She quickly pulled away from his hold to grab the recipe. “If you ever want to know how to bake my homemade cinnamon cookies for whatever occasion, then here.” She handed the slip of paper to him. 

"Thank you." He took the slip of paper and put it in his pocket. He then held an arm out for her to entwine with his. "Shall we head back?"

She looked at him for a moment, staring. Then, she smiled and entwined her arm with his. "We shall."

With that, they headed back to the study, where they saw Susan eat one of the last few cookies. "My, my," said Lionel, amused. "Looks like someone's been needing a good afternoon tea time with some snacks."

Susan looked up, having been licking the crumbs off his fingers. "Yeah," he admitted through a mouthful of cookies. 

Both Adelina and Lionel laughed. Typical Susan, so loveable and funny. 

* * *

"So then I told the seamstress, 'Well if you wanted a plus-sized model then why didn't you make him some plus-sized clothes?!'" exclaimed Lionel in an over-the-top tone.

Adelina laughed, wiping away a tear. "Did that _really_ happen when you were on the way to visiting Miss Moira?"

"Yep," Susan replied. "Lionel kept demanding the seamstress give me an outfit that would not only make me look like a gentleman in his word, but also bring out my...self being, if that makes sense."

"Ah," said Adelina. "And I guess the seamstress had a bit of trouble with that, hmm?"

"Oh yeah, took almost an hour before we found something my size," Susan said with a nod. "Big coat with gold and green patterns since it matched my usual outfit. Apparently it used to belong to this tall builder guy, but then he gave it up so we were allowed to take it. I only wear it for some occasions, since I like my normal attire but Lionel wanted me to be a bit more fancy, so...yeah."

"Wow," Adelina giggled. "So there's a lot that goes on that you don't tell me in the letters, huh Lionel?"

"Well they are minuscule things," Lionel reasoned. "They are not as big as the other things I have told you about, just some misadventures with trying to get a suit for Susan when we visited my mother for the first time...after the whole Shangri-La ordeal. That, and there's just some things better suited for tea times like this, wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose so, yes," replied Adelina, nodding her head. "I can see what you mean now."

"Speaking of things he doesn't really talk about," Susan spoke up, suddenly remembering all the times Lionel had gushed about Adelina, mostly late at night when he thought he wouldn't be heard. Prior to her coming back, there were many nights where the sasquatch would sometimes hear his friend cry and he'd go and investigate, peeking in through the open door of the room and seeing him sitting at the edge of the bed, holding a photo and looking at it tearfully, saying such things he'd never heard the man say about anyone else who he had a picture of before. “He looks at your picture a lot,” Susan rambles. “Sometimes, he even cries and I think it’s because he says he—” 

Lionel’s eyes widened when he realized what Susan was saying, how he was revealing too much private information. “Susan, _SHHHH!_ That’s enough!” he shushed him. 

Adelina tilted her head in confusion. “Picture?” He never said anything about a picture, specifically one of her. What was Susan talking about?

“Oh, don’t pay any mind to what he just said. He’s just rambling about stuff from his daydreams since he’s a little light headed from the long train ride,” Lionel lied. It was true that he looked at her picture a lot and cried sometimes, because he loved her so much and couldn’t bear to remember each day how he lost her. “You know how folks can be, making up wild fantasies to keep themselves entertained, involving their friends sometimes. I can assure you that what he says about the photo isn’t accurate in the least bit.” It pained him to lie about _this,_ to lie to  _her_ , but he was too scared about what could happen if she knew. Would she be disgusted with him? Would she be angry? He didn't want to face that.

He couldn't.

“Oh,” Adelina said, in a small dejected voice. For some reason, it hurt a little, hearing that he hadn’t been doing the things with her photo that Susan said he did. He hadn’t cried over it, hadn’t said anything that could possibly —

 _What the hell are you thinking?_ her mind, her pride, nagged at her. _How many times must we go over this: you need to see if he’s greater. You cannot let your guard down so easily and mope over him._ And yet… she still felt a twinge of hurt, over something such as whether he looked at her photo in a longing manner or not.

(She supposed she had it coming, though. After all, she had implied and done many things to make him believe she had moved on prior to them making amends, when in reality… that wasn’t the case at all. She hadn’t moved on, not when here he was now, making her feelings go into a frenzy.)

For a moment, Lionel thought that perhaps Adelina's dejected reply meant that she could harbor some affections for him still, but he shook that thought off soon as he realized how absurd the thought was. He hadn't gotten there yet. She merely only saw him as a friend...at least, she would until he proved himself again.

And he would. By _god,_ he would prove himself to her.

"Anyhow, how've you been?" Lionel asked her, trying to start a new topic. "I mean, prior to before you wrote that letter."

"Bien, bien," Adelina replied, slightly smiling. "I got to travel through South America, expose myself to the people and their cultures, especially the Andes. It was a beautiful time, so many things to see, things to do — it was a thrilling experience." 

"That's good," said Lionel, giving a nod. "It is good that you had fun and were happy. If you are happy, then that is all that matters."

Her smile grew more and she giggled, turning away a little bashfully. "You mean that?" she asked. It sounded so sweet, so nice...too good to be true.

He leaned over and placed his free hand over her own. "Of course." 

They looked into each other's eyes. They began inching forward, their faces leaning toward one another until —

"Hey, Adelina, I have a question?"

The two moved away, with Adelina turning to Susan while Lionel let out a soft sigh. Why was there always something stopping them, especially as things were getting good?

"Yes, Susan?"

"Did you ever find a chupacabra? 'Cause I heard they roamed the Americas and Lionel told me you two met while trying to look for it in Mexico. Did you succeed in finding it going solo?"

She shook her head. "No, unfortunately I haven't found the chupacabra yet. I looked all over for it in every place in Latinoamérica, yet I found no trace of it." 

"Oh...maybe we could look for it sometime?" Susan suggested. "If Lionel could find the Loch Ness monster again, then we could find the chupacabra."

"You do have a point," Adelina noted. She looked at Lionel. "What do you say, Lionel?"

In her eyes, Lionel saw excitement, he saw that urge for adventure and he knew then that he couldn't say no. How could he refuse her, even if he had a few more adventures planned before this proposed chupacabra search? "Of course," he answered with a smile. "After an expedition in Poland and the southern states, we can search for it in Peru." 

She beamed at him. "Then it's settled! In time, the search for el chupacabra will be afoot!"

The three of them all burst into laughter upon a few minutes after at the word 'afoot.' They resumed talking afterwards, speaking of all the things they did that they hadn't brought up before and the whole time, Lionel and Adelina's hands would brush and they would look into each other's eyes and then act so shy yet so intimate around one another.

During this, Susan couldn't help but notice something, something neither of them seemed to register.

They were still enamored with one another...yet neither of them knew how the other felt.

He understood it better now than he did before, but at the same time felt so confused. How could they not realize this?

Or better yet, what was stopping them? Was it pride, fear? What could it be?

And meanwhile, the humans were content around each other and their bigfoot friend, relishing in the other's presence and the happiness they brought with them. Neither of the two knew this, but the other one was slowly finding themselves falling in love again and again and again with each word, each touch and each little thing exchanged between them.

One thought was on their mind:  _oh, how I adore you_.

A thought that neither of them could express out of fear, a thought that was kept close to heart.

Just as they kept each other close to their hearts.


	13. and now i can't believe my heart (is saying "don't resist him")

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _That I've been on my guard too long._  
>  _I can't believe my heart_  
>  _Surrendered when I kissed him_  
>  _And told me all I thought I knew,_  
>  _As sad but true, is wrong._  
>  – Susan Egan, "I can't believe my heart."

The tea party had gone on for several hours with the three all talking and chatting it up, sharing things with one another and exchanging laughs and cookies and tea. All of them bonded over the fun they had over talking about their experiences in adventures, whether good or a little foolish. Overall, it had been a fun day and a wonderful time for them all but alas as with all fun times, it had to come to an end.

“It’s been wonderful to have you two over,” said Adelina as she stood at the door, with the two gentlemen in front of her. “I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to come from London all the way over here.”

“Don’t even mention it,” Lionel said, waving it off with a smile. “It is worth travelling from London to Santa Ana to spend time with such a radiant woman like you.”

“You two are the greatest friends a girl could ask for,” Adelina said, smiling so brightly that it could light up the whole town. “I'm so glad to have you two.”

“Likewise,” Lionel returned, taking her hand and kissing it. “It has been an honor and utmost privilege to be your visitor on this fine day.”

Susan looked at his friends as they bid an intimate farewell. Human customs were weird. "Ditto," he piped up awkwardly. "It's been swell." 

Adelina hugged Lionel tightly, much to his shock despite them having hugged several times before. Even after all this time, he still wasn't used to her. "I'm so glad you came, I really am. I hope we'll see each other again soon."

"Of course," he replied, hugging her back. "As do I. I'm...I'm glad to have been here with you."

She squeezed him tightly. "So am I." Their hug lasted for a few more minutes before she went to shake Susan's hand. "And it's been fun having you over too, Susan."

"It's been real fun being here!" the sasquatch chirped as he shook her hand eagerly. "Wonderful friends, good fun, tasty sweets — overall, it was a great time! Would love to come over again."

"Maybe next time you could," said Adelina with a smile. "We'll just have to wait and see." She stepped back, looking between her two friends. "Until then, I bid you an  _adios,_ gentlemen." 

Lionel tipped his cane off to her and bowed. "Farewell, my fair lady."

Susan bowed his head slightly and said, "Bye." 

With that, Lionel and Susan stepped off their porch and left the grounds of Casa de Fortnight. They waved to Adelina as they came to the gates, and she waved back all the way from the porch. The two then left with smiles on their faces — one of admiration on Lionel's while Susan's was the happy, goofy one he always had whenever he was happy — while she watched from afar with a smile on her face, one that was unlike any other smile she had smiled before.

Seeing their figures fade off in the distance, Adelina sighed happily as she closed the door and leaned against it. She felt so happy, so content. She felt so relaxed in a way she hadn't felt before in a very long time, in nearly a decade or so. Her heart felt so fluttery and her mind raced as she thought of the visit that had happened today, how great it had been and how Lionel always seemed to make her happy. The way he smiled, the way he laughed, the way he talked — hell, even the way he had held her when he caught her sent a rush of warmth through her body.

He made her feel so happy in a way she hadn't felt before. She felt this spark between them, a spark she _never_ felt with anyone else _but_ him. His eyes that shone like sapphires, his smile that lit up brighter than lights at a fiesta, his soft hands that once held her, his strong yet soothing and charismatic voice, his lively personality that oozed with charm and his love for adventure — despite whatever past faults he had, Sir Lionel Frost was such a perfect man. How lucky it was, Adelina thought, to have him in her life. How lucky she was to spend time with him, time that she would cherish always. 

He was such a great man, greater than one could ever expect. There was this aura around him that drew her in, left her so pleased and happy...and she found herself craving more. She wanted to spend more time with him, talk with him for hours on end, explore every acre they could together — somehow, Adelina Fortnight wanted more of Sir Lionel Frost, and a part of her couldn't understand why. She couldn't believe herself, what she was thinking. A long time ago, she swore to herself she would never let him have this kind of effect on her, that she wouldn't let her heart open up so easily yet now... now, she was hardly resisting. 

Years ago, if anyone told her Adelina during the days she was mourning that she would be travelling with her former lover and have him over at her house numerous times and that he'd make her feel so happy that she would yearn for his company then, well, she would have scoffed and laughed a bitter laugh. However, now that they had made amends and she got to see the true side to him that he'd hidden for so long, she could believe it. He made her happy, made her yearn and want more, and she couldn't believe her heart. Her guard was going down and it was all because of _him._

Yet she couldn't be mad. She couldn't even scold herself, because she would be lying if she said she didn't still have feelings for him, feelings that ran deeper than just friends, even best friends. These feelings made her giggle when she saw him in a silly situation, blush when he complimented her or said anything that made her heart race, pumping harder than oil into a tin man. These feelings...she wasn't ready to say it was 'love', but... he was just so dreamy, so handsome and charming that she couldn't help it. She couldn't help but put her hand over her chest and giggle, remembering how gentleman-like he was and all the silly little moments and how sweet he was. She couldn't help but wrap her arms around herself and twirl, swaying around in the halls as she thought of her handsome friend, her wonderful companion.

_Her Lionel._

Once again, she sighed happily. "Oh Lionel~" she began to hum with a fondness, mulling over this sudden change.

_“Just when I thought I had it figured_

_That life’s a game you cannot win,_

_He comes in and changes all the rules…”_

She couldn’t believe what a pleasant feeling it was, thinking of him and all their moments together, especially their most recent one. It lightened up her day even more than she would have thought. The way he had held her, the way he had smiled and spoken so happily, even the moments where he admitted things to her she hadn’t heard before — it made this warmth wash over her, a nice warmth that only he seemed to bring out.

Just as he was the only one who seemed to be coming in, changing up all the rules. She supposed it was his thing by now, changing things up and putting this odd imbalance that would normally cause issues and yet… everything was fine, for the most part. Sure, she was experiencing some emotions that conflicted with what she strived for — yearning for Lionel, her heart fawning over him when her mind kept urging her to wait because he wasn’t there yet — but these emotions made her giddy, happy and overall so… _good._ Very good.

_“What I’ve been taught, I’ve learned the hard way,_

_That life and love are never just_

_And if you trust you’re just one of the fools.”_

When Adelina was younger, she had been taught many things about life, how harsh it could be and that not everything went as planned or hoped. Most of all, she was taught that when it came to love, life could be so cruel sometimes. She learned that the hard way with how her romance with Lionel had ended on such a rocky note, and _the one who wouldn’t be named_ … that one was the cruelest trick life could play on her, offering temporary happiness before taking it away. 

She once felt foolish for believing that life and love could ever be balanced and just, but now…things were different, _very different_.

_“And now I can’t believe my heart,_

_Is saying ‘Don’t resist him.’_

_That I’ve been on my guard too long.”_

She couldn’t believe her heart was so ready to surrender to his charms so quickly. She couldn’t let it, she _wouldn’t_ let it, but she still felt it and it should have felt wrong, but it didn’t. It felt so… _right._ It felt right to harbor such warm feelings toward Lionel, to yearn for him, to want him, to lo- _like_ him. 

It felt so foolish to feel this way yet so wise, too.

The woman had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t even realized it, until she felt a hand tap on her shoulder. “¿Señora?”

Adelina turned around to see that it was her butler. “Oh, Ricardo! I didn’t notice you there.” 

The butler seemed a bit concerned. “Señora, are you alright? You seem a bit… _diferente_ today.”

“¿Diferente? _¿Cómo es eso?_ ” she asked unknowingly, tilting her head. 

“A few minutes ago, you were humming to yourself,” Ricardo pointed out. “And you were sighing, and acting…giddy? And there was something about this Lionel hombre…”

Adelina’s face broke into a smile at the mention of the British man. “Oh yes, Lionel! He’s so wonderful, isn’t he?” she gushed. “So charming, brave and funny, and handsome too…”

Ricardo’s face nearly scrunched up at this. What was Señora even saying? Handsome? He could understand charming, even if he still thought the British man was a _pajero,_ but _handsome?_ The old butler couldn’t believe his ears. “What do you mean by handsome?”

"He's just so dreamy, with his perfect looks and personality," she went on, voice filled with adoration. "He's so polite and kind, so gentlemanly!" she swooned. "He's a great man...greater than any other man I've met before."

As Ricardo listened to Adelina ramble on about this Sir Lionel Frost, he noticed a few things. First thing he noticed was the look in her eyes, the way they glimmered — it was different than how they would glimmer when she’d talk about something she loved or someone she cared about. They usually would shine with a friendly affection but this time, they shone with a deeper affection. Second thing he noticed was her tone, the way she spoke of Lionel — it was deeper than admiration or a simple fondness. It was filled with such care, such happiness, such delight — such deep affections that clearly went deeper than just companions, than just friends. It sounded like she was in lo—

_Oh no._

The butler looked at his señora as she went on, noticing how she swooned and sighed and squealed and gushed and fawned over this British man, this man who she was very close to and had such a deep history with — a history he was told involved love, heartbreak and heartache, along with having witnessed the man trying to steal a safe which held the map of _that one man_ his señora mourned over. Yet despite all that, here the woman was, showing clear deep affections for this Lionel through her words, her actions, subtle movements, gestures and even in her facial expressions, her smile and in her eyes.

_Of course._

Of course she had to fall in love again. Of course it had to be with _that British man_ of all people. _Of course_ she had to fall in love with someone who literally put a hole in her window. _God damn it!_ Why? Why was this happening? Why that man? 

“Why him,” Ricardo mumbled. His voice was now so quiet, barely above a mumble that his señora didn’t even noticed, not that she gave him much attention as she was so caught up in her love for the man who broke her window that she hadn’t noticed the dreadful look that overcame the butler’s expression. “Oh Dios mío, _why him_?”

He certainly hadn’t expected _this_ when he signed up for the job. He hadn’t expected to be stuck with a lovesick woman in her early forties, pining over a man who broke into her house… yet she still had a strong, caring bond with. He certainly wasn’t paid enough for this, either.

 _And_ it was certainly going to be tough dealing with this now, that's for damn certain. _Why me?_ he sighed inwardly.

Meanwhile, Adelina couldn’t believe how much her heart was surrendering. All it took was a journey to mend their bond and these new adventures and visits and all these new interactions to furnish the old flame, the love they once had. She had noticed his feelings, but hers… it took until now to realize, to find out how her heart had yearned for him. Would she give in? No, not yet, but one day… when the time came and there was enough proof of his worth, then she would allow her heart to surrender. In the meantime, however, she would admire secretly, keep these feelings to herself and mull over how she couldn’t believe how good it felt to love, how she couldn’t believe her heart.

_“I can’t believe my heart_

_Says ‘tear down all your fences’_

_‘That everything you want and more is right before your eyes’_

_I can’t believe my heart_

_Could be so_

_Wise…”_

She couldn’t believe it yet it was true. She wanted Lionel, but could not have him yet, not until the time was right, but she knew then and there that at least she was certain of what she wanted. 

And she couldn’t believe how wiser she had gotten, all because of love.

Especially her love for Lionel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this done sooner, but yet again life strikes and I get busy and procrastinate. Luckily, still managed to finish before the month ended. Once again, I hope you all liked this.


	14. tap on my window knock on my door (i want to make you feel beautiful)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I don't mind spending every day_  
>  _Out on your corner in the pouring rain_  
>  _Look for the girl with the broken smile_  
>  _Ask her if she wanna stay for a while_  
>  _And she will be loved_  
>  \- Maroon 5, "She will be loved."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Angsty chapter. Since a couple chapters ago, Lionel opened up to Adelina, I figured it was only a matter of time before she opens up to him more, especially emotionally as y'know...widow. I thankfully wrote a lot of this months ago so it wasn't too hard getting this out fairly quickly. Enjoy!

May 20th, 1901

2:49 P.M. 

Santa Ana, California

Today was different from any other day where Lionel went out. Today was more somber, more gloomy, more tragic. One without any knowledge would ask why today seemed more gloomy, why even the weather made the sky grey and dim, but Lionel knew why — at least, why today was a rough day for him. 

Today was the fifth year anniversary of the avalanche, the day when the snow from the mountain tumbled and killed Aldous Fortnight, leaving poor Adelina with a broken leg, widowed and traumatized and aching. Today was the day an old friend of his who was like a brother to him had died and his dearest Adelina was left scarred, becoming a recluse, a shell of her former self for two whole years.

Today was the day that marked one of his mistakes: not showing up at the funeral, a mistake that hurt Adelina even more than he already had and nearly twisted the knife so far into that open wound that it could have burst and bleed out. Today was the day he let his bitterness take over, because he was so upset about losing her that he hadn’t thought rationally, that he could have fixed things much sooner by coming to the funeral. 

But he didn’t. He didn’t come to the funeral and as a result, he broke her heart even further, even as Adelina was mourning over the fresh loss, even as her wounds were fresh. He made a selfish decision and as a result, caused a rift between them, more so than he had when they’d split up… and while things were better now, there was always some guilt following him whenever it came to the anniversary of the avalanche. He wasn’t there for her when she needed him the first time, he wasn’t there during her mourning process, but now… now, he thought, was the time he would be there for her. He would be there for her on this day of mourning.

He had to be there for her. He _needed_ to be there for her. He wasn't there for her when she needed him the most back then, so he _had_ to be there for her now. She was going to need the emotional support, the care, the reassurance — all of it! She could say she was fine all she wanted, but he knew that deep down, she was still hurt inside. She had witnessed a loved one's death happen right before her very eyes, had seen everything. Of course she was still aching, of course she was still hurt, but she was too confident that she hid her aching with smiles and words of "life's great" when she had her own troubles, troubles she seemed to push aside and ignore in the illusion of pretending life was rainbows and butterflies for the sake of making her friends happy so they wouldn't be overly concerned. Bless her soul, really. She was too good for this world, and certainly deserved only the best.

And he hoped that he would be the best for her on this day. He hoped to be the perfect shoulder for her to lean on, the perfect hands to catch her if she were to fall and to steady her, the perfect arms to fall into — the perfect light in the darkness that surrounded her life, especially when it came to this tough day. He wanted to be the best thing to happen to her since that day, that traumatizing event. 

It’s what she deserved, after all the pain and suffering she had gone through. She had to be strong for herself, since she’d been alone during her time of mourning, but no more. She would now have the support she needed, the support she should’ve had a long time ago, that he should have given her.

He was going to right the wrongs he had made, from not showing up at the funeral to being absent when she needed him the most. He could only hope it would work out in the end, that she would accept him. If she _did_ try turning him away, try to usher him out and say everything was doing well, then… he would just keep pressing on, keep trying to coax her out of that shell she built for herself, the shell that kept her from expressing those deep feelings she was so scared to show. 

He would comfort her, make sure she would feel better in no time, no matter what. 

So he trudged through the streets of Santa Ana, through the little town with people who cast their stares upon him, whispered like always. This time, however, they were even more harsh with their ignorance.

“Ey, look, it’s Madame Fortnight’s British lover!”

“I suppose he’s coming over to give her a good time, hmm?”

“You really think she’s selling herself out to the gringo?” 

“Por supuesto! You think a rich widow like that wouldn’t hesitate to grab a new hombre?”

“It’s so obvious. Why else would he keep coming over?”

“Figures. If a husband dies, just replace him — that’s young widow logic for ya.”

“It’s even funnier since today is the day of… well, _you know._ ”

“Oh that’s hysterical!”

Lionel stopped mid tracks as he heard this. His blood started boiling, hotter than lava ready to burst from a volcano. He couldn’t believe it — the complete _nerve_ of the townspeople! Today was the day she was _grieving,_ reliving an event that no doubt caused emotional distress and harm for her, and here these – these _arses_ were making fun of her, speaking of her as if she were a harlot when she was a poor woman mourning the loss of a spouse. He could care less if they were making fun of him, but to make fun of a wonderful woman like _Adelina_ who had done no wrong to deserve such distasteful remarks? That wouldn’t do, that wouldn’t do _at all._

He whipped around to face the scoundrels speaking ill of his woman and in a low, dark voice hissed: “ _What_ did you just say?”

The three men turned to face him, the main one snorting. “Oh, it’s you: _la moza’s amante británico_.” 

While not fluent in Spanish, Lionel had picked up a fair amount of words from his time with Adelina when they were an item to know what words like ‘moza’ meant, and to hear the ruffian call her that angered him further. “Don’t you _dare_ call Adelina that,” he growled. “This is a time of grieving for her, and you three… you all talk ill of her as if she is an uppity street whore!” 

“If it’s really a time of grieving, then why is she inviting men over to her home like a _puta_?” one of the men sneered. The three guffawed, all laughing. 

“¡Especialmente hombres extranjeros!” jeered another. “Too uppity to take in folks from town, just like those street whore—”

That had done it for Lionel. Just as the vulgar insult left the bastard’s mouth, the aristocrat socked him right in his jaw. The fool fell back, a tooth falling out while he groaned in pain and his friends watched, suddenly terrified. Lionel tried not to hiss as he pulled back his hand, pain searing through his fist. He kept his eyes on the men, glaring at them. 

“Never,” he began harshly, “ _ever_ speak of Miss Adelina Fortnight like that again. If you do then believe me, there will be more than just a fist colliding with your jaw. Have I made myself clear?”

The three men cowered back, two of them collecting their friend while whimpering. “C-crystal!” one stuttered. 

“Good.” He turned away, leaving them to scramble off. He continued down the path to Casa de Fortnight, ignoring the stares of the townspeople. If they knew what was best, they would stay quiet. They would know not to gossip about Madame Fortnight, not unless they wanted to face the fury of Sir Frost. It didn't matter if they gossiped about him, spoke of him like he was a scary brooding guard. If it got them to leave her alone, then so be it.

It was worth being spoken of as if he were to be feared. It was all worth it for her, to ensure she never had to face that kind of gossip.

To ensure she would be happy.

Happy. Oh, he could only hope he could make her happy on this day. To bring her happiness on a day where such a grizzly event took place would be a miracle. To ensure that she wouldn't be suffering alone, overcome with her grief...he knew his heart was going to break, especially the moment he'd walk in and see her in that mourning outfit, in that dress she'd worn when he saw her for the first time since things had ended the way they did. Or to see her in black — now that was even more heartbreaking. He couldn’t bear the idea of her dressed in all black, looking like she just came out of an open casket viewing. It made his heart clench with sorrow.

The fiesty, elegant bird might have broken out of her cage a long time ago, yes, but she hadn’t broken out of her sorrows yet. She still had some troubles with herself, her life, her feelings — her heart was still broken, he knew that. It would take a while for that broken heart to heal, no doubt, but he would be there to help her no matter what…even if it seemed that she belonged to someone else. It didn’t matter who her heart belonged to, even if he wanted her heart to belong to — to _let in_ — him. 

So he’d been walking for miles and miles, step by step along the path, until he wound up at her door. His hands froze, shivering as though he were in a snowstorm.

Snow... the brother of ice, what had fallen down and crushed his old friend. The very thing that made Adelina a widow.

He felt a mixture of emotions, mainly grief and empathy. He grieved his old friend, mourned over the fact he'd been so selfish and let his feelings get in the way and end their friendship all because he was jealous, petty and...and heartbroken. He was too heartbroken by Adelina's decision that he let it drive a wedge between him and a friend that was like a brother to him. He grieved over not attending the funeral, over being so petty that he couldn't even bother showing up. He mourned over the fact that his old friend was dead, long gone and buried, and he wouldn't be able to apologize to him, not in person. He mourned over being unable to provide Adelina the comfort and support she needed at that time and all the times before too. 

But most importantly, he mourned over the fact that he couldn't change the past. He couldn't go back and fix anything, for the damage was already done. All he could do now was be there for her and hopefully, that would be enough. 

Hopefully, she wouldn't turn him away this time. Hopefully she wouldn't lie about how she was feeling, how she was fairing. Hopefully, she wouldn't hide her emotions.

Hopefully, she would let him in.

As he came up on the doorsteps, he felt his knees trembling. He felt his ankles wobble, his palms get clammy. His heart was pounding, like always when it came to her. He couldn't mess this up. She needed him, and he would be damned if he wasn't there for her in this rough time. 

Coming up to the door, he brought his knuckles to it and knocked. As he did, he thought of how ironic it was — he'd had her over a couple of times prior to their splitting and even a few times after the Shangri-La thing, and he'd been over at her place a couple of times yet somehow he always wanted more. It was like an addiction of sorts.

Lionel knocked on the door three times, then waited. He didn’t know what to expect, whether she would answer the door or Ricardo would or if he would even be allowed inside. He could understand why she wouldn’t let him in, if there was a part of her still mad and hurt by his absence at the funeral — it was understandable and fair enough if she turned him away during this time, though it hurt to think about. She had lost someone, someone she had cared a great deal for.

Someone that was also once his friend, who he lost her to and in turn, Lionel lost him as well: both while the man had been alive and when he died. It was at this moment he wished that there was a way to go back in time, to apologize for his callous behavior, to _at least_ attend the funeral, to _fix this_ , to – _to_ –! 

But he couldn’t. All he could do now was try to right his wrongs by being there… if Adelina would have him, anyway.

 _If she would._ There was only one way to find out and so, he waited. He waited for someone to open the door, whether it be the butler or her. He tapped his feet, his limbs trembling, his body shaking, his stomach churning — his body in a frenzy as he remembered the past and how much of a scoundrel, how much of an arse he had been. How could he have been so careless, so blind? Well, not anymore. Now, he would show her just how much he changed  _and_ that there was someone out there who really cared for her and would be there for her now.

That he was that someone. 

He stayed in that spot in front of the door for what felt like an eternity, mulling over his past choices and the trials and errors he had gone through before becoming a better man. He thought of everything that had happened, all of the events that occurred and lead up to this day. He tried to picture her in a mourning dress but when he did, he felt sick and sorrowful. She deserved better than this, than to become a widow at such a young age — at what should have been her prime. It filled him with rage, with _disgust,_ with —

With knowledge that at such a time in a person’s life, at such a vulnerable moment, was when one needed a friend the most. It took him forever to come to his senses and consider other folks but now that he had come to his senses, he knew this. He knew it all too well when she had comforted him back when they were leaving Greece, when they were out at sea and he told her of his past, of his father. She had been there for him when he needed someone, so now was the time to return that favor.

Suddenly, the door opened after what felt like ages. Lionel turned and he saw Adelina, dressed in a blackish purple gown. There was a surprised expression on her face as her eyes fell upon him, her mouth forming an ‘o’ for a few seconds before quickly closing. 

“Lionel,” she gasped, her voice filled with surprise. Her eyes traveled up and down his form, blinking rapidly as though she expected him to disappear and for it all to be a figment of her imagination, but he remained there in his place. “I…I didn’t expect you to come here, especially since—” 

“I know,” he interrupted her, his voice soft and somber. “But I recall something you said years ago, how I hadn’t been there for the funeral… so I hope I can do the next best thing by showing up now.”

Adelina was surprised. After he hadn’t shown up at the funeral, she hadn’t expected him to show up now and be there during this time of mourning. Even after he had worked to become a better man, she had still expected him to stay back in England, to do other things — to do anything but come here, actually showing up and…just being there. It was shocking, it was astonishing, it was —

It was relieving. It was comforting. It was reassuring to know that she wasn’t alone during this time, that she had a friend by her side — her dearest friend, at that.

“Well then, come in,” she spoke softly, a small smile gracing her lips. She stepped aside, allowing him to walk in. “It’s been a while since I’ve had someone over during a time like…this.”

“Oh…really?” Lionel asked as he walked into the casa. He looked around, noticing how it looked more somber, more gloomy than usual. Of course he had expected this, but still…considering how it seemed so colorful and happy the last time he visited, it still filled him with concern — concern that the old habits were going to kick in, concern for his friend’s emotional state and well-being; how things were fairing beyond what was (and would be) said in words. “I suppose it was your parents and brothers who were visiting then, right?” The imagery was already forming in his mind of her mother comforting her, of all seven of her brothers trying to say reassuring words at the open wake, of her father guiding her brothers as they lowered the casket into the ground —

Of a moment where he should have been there for her, he _should have_ remedied his past error in that, but was absent. 

“Yes, they were,” said Adelina quietly, her smile fading as the memories flashed through her mind of the roughest point in her life. Only one year of being married until she suddenly became a widow, her spouse’s life ripped away so quickly before she could even so much as blink — it was like a stab in the gut. “They helped with most of the funeral preparations and gave their condolences, prayers and best wishes and…” she trailed off, remembering how she had sobbed at the funeral, how she was an emotional wreck and how she had cursed the heavens, cursed the lord’s name, cursed and blamed everyone she knew and even herself for what happened. How could this have happened to her? _Why her?_ Why was it that whenever she tried to be happy, to let love into her life, it was always ripped away from her? First her relationship with Lionel, then _he who couldn’t be named_ … why was life so cruel to her? 

She felt traitorous liquid pricking her eyes and quickly blinked it away, breathing in and out. “Well, I’m sure you can guess the rest.” She tried her best to sound fine, to sound like she was doing fine even though she wasn't. She didn't want him to be worried about her. “But never mind that. It's good to have you here.”

Lionel saw her trying to hide the sorrow, trying to mask it already. She could try to hide it, but it was clear in her voice and the way she acted. He had heard the saying before, how a fake smile and a few words could hide a million tears and misery, and that's what was happening now. “It’s good to be here,” he said slowly. “Tell me, how has this day been since the initial...incident? How have you been fairing since?” 

“Oh, I...I’ve been doing fine, thank you,” she lied. She couldn’t tell the truth, couldn’t tell him how she would shut herself away on this particular day for the past five years, how she would weep in her bedroom and head out to the grave and mourn and always ask why this had to happen to her. She dare not speak of her laments, the breakdowns and the thoughts of what could have happened if things had gone differently — if fate hadn’t been so cruel. “I’ve- I’ve been dealing with it my own way.” Well, that wasn’t a lie. She had been dealing with it, just…differently than one would hope.

“I see,” he said, noticing a hint of a lie. She acted like she was a concrete angel, made of stone where nothing hurt, but even the strongest of figures had their vulnerable moments. He knew this all too well. 

There was a pause in the air. Lionel saw Adelina shift slightly, rubbing her arms and looking off ahead at her study. The last time she had rubbed her arms like that, it was in the carriage three years ago when they were travelling up ahead to the ship. She had been looking back on how the late primatologist had died during his search, and had said:

_“I wished he could have been here to see it.”_

She was still looking back to this day, it seemed. The graceful bird was free now, yes, but in the end she would always look back on her early days in isolation and mourn her loss. 

“Adelina?” 

She turned back to him. "Sí?" 

"You still wish he could have been here to see how far you have come," Lionel observed.

Adelina was quiet for a few seconds. Then, she sighed. "Yes...though I have mostly moved on, I still — there's still a part of me with that wish." 

“And that’s perfectly understandable,” he replied with such understanding, such kindness in his voice. “It’s normal to wish for that, especially after losing someone so near and dear to you even as you move on.” 

“Oh,” was all that came from her as she blinked. She still kept rubbing her arms, shifting her feet. She closed her eyes and breathed in, then out. Steady, easy breaths were taken, providing some noise amongst a silence that seemed to grow again.

In her eyes, he saw a hidden pain, one she was trying to bottle up. She was an angel with a broken smile, suffering in silence. It hurt him to see her like this, to see her in pain and mourning over their friend — her dead spouse and his former brotherly figure. He had to do something, say something — he had to make her feel better, to chase away her woes. 

So after another moment of silence, he finally spoke up. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said with complete, utter sincerity and sympathy. “I am deeply sorry.”

She stopped with her breathing techniques, opening her eyes and looking at him. “Don’t be,” she replied, faking a smile. He couldn’t see her upset, couldn’t see her as how she really was when she mourned. She had to appear strong, had to be strong. She couldn’t let herself break down. She was strong, she was fierce, she was tough - she was going to get through this. “Happiness is nothing but temporary moments here and there, and I love those… but I would be losing my mind if I were happy all the time.”

“I see.” Lionel paused for a moment. There it was with the fibbing again. He had to keep going, had to keep telling her, letting her know his heart had plenty of room and the door was always open for her to come in. He had to let her know he had changed, had to let her know he was going to atone for his past mistakes. He had to apologize, if he was ever going to make this right. So he breathed in, gathered himself and his words and then: “Adelina, I – I am _so_ sorry I couldn’t be there for the funeral. I really, _truly_ am sorry and so I want to make it up to you.” He held his arms out, wide open for her. “If you ever need me, I am always here.”

Adelina’s lips began to tremble, her forced smile quivering until it turned into a frown as she stared straight at him. The urge to speak grew too strong and she tried to shake her head, willing the words to push past her throat’s barrier but nothing happened. She tried opening her mouth, but nothing came out. 

She began licking her lips, a nervous habit she had done back then. She always did that whenever she was anxious, or whenever she became so worked up with her emotions that she was about ready to…  well, not that she would do it in front of anyone, though. No, she would never do it in front of anyone, never let them see her in such a fragile state. Never, never. 

Licking her lips, she tried to speak but all that came out was a croaked breath. She blinked, tried catching her breath but when she opened her mouth again, only a harsh gasp came out. She pressed the back of her palm to her lips, saw the look of concern Lionel gave her and tried to force a smile and blink back the tears that were threatening to cloud her vision. She tried her best to hold it all together, but then she felt her body trembling and tingling, growing so numb and her chest was in pain and her mouth was drying up —

Hyperventilating. Adelina was hyperventilating, or at least was on the verge of it and Lionel began reaching towards her, began opening his mouth to say, “Adelina, it’s alright.”

But it wasn’t alright. It wasn’t okay and it was _never_ going to be okay. She felt her tears building up and blurring her vision, and she was growing so tired of trying to force a smile and pretend like it was alright when it wasn’t and never could be. She couldn’t hold it in any longer, couldn’t continue to live such a lie so she thrust herself forward and fell into his arms. Once she held a grip on his back and had her head on his shoulder, she began breaking down into heavy sobs at last.

Lionel embraced the woman fiercely, beginning to rock her back and forth. Her sobs were so dry, so loud and pained that his heart felt like breaking, hearing her like this. He gently caressed her, trying to calm her down. “I know this is something that can never be fixed,” he whispered to the small woman he held. “But I want you to know that you will always have my support. I will always be there if you need a shoulder to lean on, alright? So please, do not hold back.”

Adelina’s dry sobs continued, and she swore she could feel some of Lionel’s tears drop tenderly on her head. 

Things probably wouldn’t ever get better, mentally speaking. She would probably never truly be able to forget what she had witnessed years ago and the tainted parts of her mind would continue to haunt her sometimes, but maybe a hug from him could chase it away for now.

* * *

Ricardo came in not long after, having heard his señora’s sobbing. What he came to, though, was quite a shocking sight.

Now, it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen señora cry before. He was her butler after all and he had come in right after the incident, having gotten to know her through it, so of course as a close friend he’d seen her cry. He had seen her shed tears more than once many, many times. It was just… he had never seen her cry in front of anyone other than him (and maybe Paca, if a pet could count), not – not like  _ this _ . She never cried for real in front of other people – at most, she would shed a single tear or let out a tiny sniffle. Even her own parents hadn’t been allowed to witness Adelina’s real sobbing, her loud and unrestrained wails, as far as he knew. It didn’t really help that after enduring a few mental breakdowns, episodes and panic attacks, he decided to purchase some valerian and began slipping it into her drinks and food every day, so even when she would let out these wails, it would be on the rare occasion that they ran out of valerian. Even then, no matter how upset the woman could get, she would always manage to hold in her tears until she would reach the safety and privacy of her own bed chambers. 

But now, she was crying. She was crying here with Sir Frost. Not just crying in front of him either, but actually allowing him to hold her and comfort her as she wept. 

To say it was strange would be an understatement of the millennium. It wasn’t necessarily bad, no, but still very… odd. For the entire time, Ricardo stood there and watched in silence. He stood in that silence, and he pondered. 

This man had to mean a lot to Adelina if she allowed him to see her in such a vulnerable state, if she allowed him to hold her and comfort her and whisper soothing things into her ear and wipe all of her tears away. He had to mean a great deal, more so than just a “very good friend” as she usually called him and  _ definitely  _ more so than just the lovesick infatuation she had displayed after that one visit he’d made. No, no,  _ this man _ , he… he was more than all of those things, he was – he must be,  _ has _ to be – very special to señora. He had to hold a place in her heart that no other could. 

Ricardo knew it; he just  _ knew  _ there was something going on there. There just  _ had _ to be. 

Only time would tell what that something was, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A year ago today, during an afternoon on April 20th (I swear it's still this day in my timezone, it's just AO3 posts things with the next day's date for chapters posted past 8:00) I saw this movie. I went in unaware of the wonders I would see, and came away one delighted and satisfied viewer. The most wonderful movie with a brilliantly and beautifully amazing story, characters, animation - everything was great and it's an instant classic. So as I post this chapter marks the anniversary of the time I fell in love with an amazing film.   
> Thank you Laika Studios for gifting us such a delight.   
> ~ Dolores


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